The World Changes and Rearranges
by LimitedByCreativity
Summary: One year has passed for the gang, and they are finally settling into everyday lives ... but, when a familiar face shows up, all is turned upside down. Sequel to "MISSING YOU". Please read and review. Last Chapter Up "The End"! COMPLETED!
1. Trailer

_Hey, Whaddya know? I'm ACTUALLY getting around to writing my 'Missing You' sequel. Feel free to cheer. :D Anyways, this idea…I am basically making up on the spot, actually. Oh well, enjoy, peeps!_

**Bold – voiceover**

_Italics – actions_

Normal – speech

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

Trailer

**One year had passed…**

_Shows Gabriella and Ryan cuddling on the sofa_

GABRIELLA: Happy one year anniversary, Ryan.

**And everything was going well…**

_Shows Sharpay holding 7-month-old Shaun while Troy got Zoë ready for school_

ZOE: Do I gotta go?

SHARPAY: Of course, sweetie

_Shows Taylor sighing as she watches Angel_

TAYLOR: She's almost three…

CHAD: We could always have another one.

**Until along came a familiar face**

_Shows Ryan working in his office_

SECRETARY: Mr. Evans? A woman is here to see you about defending her.

RYAN: What's the case?

SECRETARY: Accused of murdering her husband.

_Shows a blonde woman stepping into the office_

WOMAN: Hiya, Ryan.

RYAN: Oh, God…

_Clarissa smirks at him _

**Suddenly, everything is destroyed**

_Gabriella and Ryan fighting_

GABRIELLA: Clarissa? You're defending your ex-girlfriend

RYAN: I have no choice

_Shows Gabriella storming from the house_

_Shows Gabriella coming to Sharpay's door_

SHARPAY: Gabby?

GABRIELLA: Can I stay here tonight?

**And when someone reappears, another disappears**

_Shows Chad searching his house_

CHAD: Tay? Taylor?

_Shows Chad running into the street, yelling_

CHAD: Taylor?!!

_Shows the police searching the house _

_Shows Chad putting up 'Missing' posters_

_Shows Troy and Sharpay talking to Chad_

SHARPAY: How're you holding up, Chad?

CHAD: How do you think, Shar?

**A life can be destroyed in a second…**

_Shows Clarissa grabbing Ryan and kissing him. He shoves her away_

RYAN: No! Clarissa, I'm happily married! We're gonna have a baby in seven months!

CLARISSA: You'll regret this!

_Shows Clarissa talking to Ryan's bosses_

CLARISSA: First, he tries to kiss me, then he assaulted me!

BOSS: This isn't good…

_Shows Gabriella talking to Ryan_

GABRIELLA: You've been…disbarred?

RYAN: Clarissa said I…assaulted her…

_Shows Gabriella at Sharpay's house again, now with Dylan_

SHARPAY: Gabriella, why're you…

GABRIELLA: I think my marriage is over.

_Shows Sharpay and Troy fighting_

SHARPAY: His wife is missing! Her husband has just been disbarred! Have some sympathy!

TROY: I just want to be happy, and not worry about everyone else's problems but our own

_Shows Sharpay crying beside Chad_

SHARPAY: How can I love someone so unfeeling?

_Shows Chad kissing Sharpay_

_Shows Sharpay curled up beside Chad in bed_

…**and take forever to be rebuilt**

TROY: Did you cheat on me?

_Sharpay begins to cry. Troy pulls her into a hug_

TROY: I won't be able to trust you for a long time. But I still love you, do you hear me?

_Shows Gabriella and Ryan at an OBGYN office_

GABRIELLA: Thanks for coming, Ry

RYAN: We're going to work this out, Gabriella. No matter how long it takes

_She takes his hand, and smiles_

**And then, there's always the matter of that missing person…**

_Shows Zoë leading Dylan through the woods_

DYLAN: Where're we going, Zoë?

ZOE: To Aunty Taylor

DYLAN: But she's missing

ZOE: I know where she is!

DYLAN: Who told you?

_Zoë turns and smiles at him_

ZOE: You're about to meet him.

_Shows them walking into an old abandoned house_

MYSTERIOUS MAN: This is our secret, remember, Zoë?

ZOE: Yes, Mister.

**Everything changed…**

_Shows Troy and Sharpay in couple's therapy_

_Shows Ryan holding a sonogram picture_

**And now everything's rearranging**

_Shows Chad yelling after Sharpay_

Chad: We can't pretend nothing's happened! I think I'm in love with you!

_Shows Sharpay crying_

SHARPAY: You're a married man, and I love Troy

**Can everything be sorted out?**

_Shows Chad hugging Angel, and holding a picture of Taylor_

ANGEL: Mommy!

CHAD: Yeah, sweetie

_Shows Gabriella and Ryan laughing as they dance around their living room_

**Or is everything to far gone?**

_Shows Zoë and Dylan walking home from the woods._

_Shows Troy punching Chad_

_Shows Sharpay clutching her two children_

ZOE: Where's Daddy gone, Mommy?

**A Sequel to 'Missing You'**

_Shows Gabriella talking to Ryan's bosses_

GABRIELLA: He didn't assault, Clarissa. How can I get you to give him his job back?

BOSS: There is one way…

_He grabs Gabriella and kisses her roughly. She screams and fights back_

'**The World Changes and Rearranges'**

**Coming soon.**

_Well? Crap, good, awesome, bad? You tell me, I gotta go and write a Troypay chapter of 'Bewitched'. Don't worry, CHAYLOR, RYELLA AND TROYPAY WILL PREVAIL!!!!!!_

_Those are basically the couples except for a bit of…-gulp-…__**Chadpay**__. Sorry, I couldn't resist adding that in cos I read a cute Chadpay story the other day :)_

_Tell me what you think! Avoir!! _

_REVIEW_


	2. Normal Days

_Well, my loyal and loveable fans!!! I cannot believe I almost got _**20**_ reviews for one trailer. (sniff sniff) YOU PEOPLE ARE THE WIND BENEATH THE WINGS!!!! I expect another 20 for this chapter. :P_

_Okay, spazzy much. Anyways, I was struck with SUDDEN INSPERATION for this story, and I have an ending all in mind. And…the ending is VERY DEPRESSING! I may change it, but I really like what I've come up with. First…I should write the rest!! Yeah, good start. :D So, here I am. My trusty laptop on my…lap, my trusty Microsoft Word spelling in English, and my trusty YouTube playing 'Come What May' from 'Moulin Rouge!'. God, I've been watching that movie waaaaaay too much. :D It's just too good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, I've restarted it about 3 times…_

_Disclaimer:__ I own nothing._

The World Changes and Rearranges

_Normal Days_

"CHAD DANFORTH!!!!"

Chad cringed at the sound of his wife screeching his name. His three year old, Angel, looked up at him with an exasperated expression and said, "What did you do, Daddy?"  
Chad shrugged as Taylor stormed into the room, accusingly holding out a--  
"What is _this_, Danforth?" she snapped.

Chad grinned sheepishly, "My sock,"  
"Exactly," Taylor hissed, "In _my _book?!"  
"I borrowed your bookmark," Chad said simply. Taylor's mouth dropped open and her arm fell limp.

"A bookm—A _bookmark_?!"  
Chad nodded, "Well, I didn't want you to lose your page!"  
Taylor's eye started twitching manically, and she said slowly, "What did you need my bookmark for?"  
Chad suddenly paled and he ducked his head, "Me and Troy wanted—"

Taylor held up a hand, cutting him off. She grabbed a phone and started dialling.

"Who're you calling?" Chad asked.

Taylor glared at him, "You started a story with 'Me and Troy…', which means you two did something bad. I'm calling Sharpay,"  
Chad's face paled even more, "No! Last time she didn't let us play basketball for a _month_!"  
Taylor rolled her eyes and held the phone to her ear.

* * *

"_Zoë Opal Bolton-Evans_!" Sharpay screeched up the stairs. 

Troy grinned from the kitchen table, "That's quite a mouthful,"  
Sharpay smiled at him, "They're both gonna be hyphenated until we're married, 'kay?"  
Troy shrugged and turned back to his newspaper. Sharpay looked down and cooed at the baby who sat in a pouch against her chest. Shaun Troy Bolton-Evans, who was now seven months old, looked up at her with large blue eyes and smiled adoringly. He was exactly the opposite of his sister, and had Troy's ultramarine eyes, and on his head he had bouncy blonde curls, much like his mother.

A moment later, Zoë clunked down stairs, brown hair tied in a messy ponytail and rubbing her brown eyes tiredly. Her school uniform (a white shirt, blue cardigan and grey skirt) was scruffy, and she had a ladder in one of her tights.

"Do I gotta go?" she asked miserably. Sharpay bent down and kissed her head.

"Of course, sweetie," she laughed, fixing Zoë's cardigan, "Now, these tights are laddered. You'll have to wear socks, then I'll re-do your ponytail!"  
Zoë sat down on a chair at the breakfast table, pulling her tights off.

"Hey, baby," Troy beamed. Zoë gave him a look of pure hatred.

"What's up?" he asked, concerned.

"She's not a morning person, hon," Sharpay giggled, handing Zoë a pair of socks and putting a plate of toast in front of her. Troy rolled his eyes and got to his feet.

"Of course," he grinned, "Well, I gotta go to work,"  
Troy still worked at the restaurant, but he had been promoted to manager. He kissed Zoë on the head, said goodbye to his Shaun and kissed Sharpay, before leaving. Sharpay sighed after his retreating figure, before the phone rang. She picked it up and said cheerily, "Hello? …oh, hi, Taylor!"  
As Taylor continued to speak, Sharpay's face slowly soured, before her mouth fell open and she exclaimed, "They wanted to see if a squirrel would _eat _your bookmark?!!"

* * *

Ryan awoke to the sound of someone singing. He moaned softly and sat up, looking around for his wife. When he came to the conclusion that she was not in bed, he climbed out of his bed and pulled on his dressing gown, walking downstairs to see Gabriella dancing around the kitchen, cooking, while their son Dylan sat on the counter contently eating an apple. Dylan's face lit up at the sign of his dad, and he waved happily. Ryan grinned at him, before wrapping his arms around Gabriella's waist and whispering in her ear, "Hiya, baby,"  
Gabriella spun around, a big grin on her pretty face, "Hey, Ry,"  
Ryan didn't answer; instead he let her go and doubled over laughing. 

"What?!" Gabriella asked.

Ryan pointed to her nose, and Gabriella realised she must have flour on it. She smiled embarrassedly and rubbed it off. Ryan grinned at her and kissed the tip of her nose.

"It was cute," he stated. Gabriella rolled her eyes.  
"Do you remember what day it is today?" she asked. Ryan pretended to rack his brains.

"Wednesday?" he asked slyly. Gabriella slapped his shoulder.

"I'm kidding, hon!" Ryan laughed, "Happy one year anniversary."

Ryan lent down and kissed Gabriella passionately, hugging her body close to his. The two were interrupted by Dylan, "Eww!"  
Gabriella separated from Ryan, mock-glaring at her son.

"Young man, go brush your teeth!" she grinned. Dylan jumped off the counter and headed upstairs. Unlike his cousin Zoë, he managed to get dressed neatly, and keep his school uniform neat.

Gabriella smiled and walked into the living room, sitting on the sofa. Ryan sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Do you have to go to work?" she asked.

"Yes, sorry, hon," Ryan murmured, "But, we have reservations at the swankiest restaurant in town tonight, Dylan's going home with Zoë. We're free for the evening,"  
Gabriella giggled and snuggled into his chest, "Happy one year anniversary, Ryan,"

* * *

Taylor settled on the sofa beside Chad, who was animatedly chatting to Angel. 

"Well, Sharpay is thoroughly ticked off," she giggled.

"Well, excuse me and Troy for trying to keep the child in us _alive_!" Chad said in a funny voice. Taylor smiled, and stroked Angel's hair.

"She's almost three…" she said sadly.

"We could always have another one," Chad said without thinking. Immediately, Taylor snatched her hand away and looked up at Chad with wide eyes. He looked back at her, eyes equally wide.

"Erm…sorry!" he said. Taylor blinked.

"_Another _one?!" she cried.

"Well, why not?" Chad asked with a grin.

"Erm, for one, labour _hurts_!" Taylor whined.

"C'mon! I'm sure Angel would love a little brother or sister," Chad beamed. Taylor shrugged and looked her daughter in the eye.

"Angel?"  
"Hi, Mommy!" Angel beamed.  
"Do you love Mommy?"  
"Yeah!"  
"Daddy?"  
"Yeah!"

"Do you like Daddy's hair?"

Angel's face turned serious, "Don't diss da 'fro!"  
Taylor rolled her eyes, while Chad grinned triumphantly.

"Angel, do you want a little brother or sister?" Taylor asked.

"No," was the blunt reply.

Chad stared in shock at the girl, before looking up at Taylor, "What does _she _know?! She's just a kid!"

* * *

Ryan flipped through the report, trying to take in what was written, but his thoughts kept wondering towards his anniversary. He was thoroughly looking forward to it! His first wedding anniversary… 

"Mr. Evans?" came his secretary's voice. He looked up to see Sarah, a petite redhead, who happened to be heavily pregnant, standing in the doorway.

"Yes, Sarah?" he asked.

"A woman is here to see you about defending her." Sarah smiled.

"What's the case?" Ryan asked, curiously. Many people wanted to defend him, partly because he had never lost a case. Of course, he had never had many serious cases. Mostly divorces and one or two restraining orders.

"Accused of murdering her husband," Sarah said simply. Ryan's eyebrows shot up. _This _could be interesting!  
"Send her in," Ryan beamed, looking back to his report. He heard Sarah leaving the room, and before long there was the _clack-clack _of someone in high-heels entering.

"Hiya, Ryan," came a sickly sweet voice. Ryan looked up and his mouth dropped open. He slowly got to his feet, pulling off his reading glasses. _She _looked just the same as ever, but her hair was longer and she wore even shorter skirts (if possible) to enhance her long bronze legs. Her nose also looked different, though he wouldn't put a nosejob past her.

Or, apparently, a boob job. (**A/N: 0.o Is he LOOKING or something???**)

"Oh, God," he moaned. Her face turned into an evil smirk.

"Good to see ya, Ry-Ry," Clarissa giggled.

* * *

_INSERT SCARY MUSIC HERE! DO NOT STAND TOO CLOSE TO THE CLARISSA, YOU MAY GET COOTIES!!!!!  
Anyways, I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter! Especially the Sharpay/Troy and Taylor/Chad bits. Also, can you picture Clarissa with a different nose _**AND**_ bigger boobs???? 0.o_

_REVIEW!!!_


	3. Familiar Faces

_Disclaimer: Erm…no.

* * *

_

The World Changes and Rearranges 

_Familiar Faces_

"Good to see ya, Ry-Ry," Clarissa giggled.

"Why are you _here_?" Ryan exclaimed.

"Erm, _hello_? Did the fat secretary not tell you?" Clarissa laughed, "I need a lawyer,"  
"Sarah is _pregnant_," Ryan hissed through gritted teeth. Clarissa shrugged nonchalantly.

"Whatever. Anyway, my dear husband, Anthony," Clarissa began, sitting down, "Died last week. He was shot, and they're accusing _me_ of killing him,"

"Who's they?" Ryan asked.

"The cops, and Anthony's daughter, Suzi," Clarissa sighed, "God, she's a bitch," 

Ryan sneered, "There's the pot calling the kettle black,"

Clarissa smiled sweetly, "Now, now, Ryan. You don't want to offend your clients,"  
"Why should I take your case?" Ryan asked, leaning forward. Clarissa shrugged.

"I'll pay top dollar," she smiled, "I'll recommend you to anyone. You could be the best, Ryan; don't you wanna win the biggest cases?"  
Ryan sat silent.

* * *

"_Clarissa_? You're defending your ex-girlfriend?" Gabriella exclaimed, as she curled her hair in the bathroom. Ryan sighed as he did his tie up. He sat on their bed.

"I have no choice!" Ryan insisted, "She could try – an succeed – to ruin me!"  
"How?!" Gabriella demanded, "She's one woman!"

"Yeah. One woman with many powerful and rich friends!"  
"Erm, isn't she going to jail for murdering her husband?" Gabriella pointed out, coming out of the bathroom. Her perfectly curled hair was falling around her shoulders and she wore a tight-fitting red dress.

"Well, yeah," Ryan grinned, getting to his feet, "But this case could mean a lot to my career, Gabriella,"

"I don't need you to have a great career," Gabriella murmured, placing her hands on Ryan's shoulders, "I just need _you_,"  
Ryan grinned, and kissed her, "You do have me. And I'll have a great career as a bonus,"  
Gabriella sighed, "_Please _don't take this case, Ryan! I lost you to Clarissa once before, I can't do it again,"  
Ryan lent his forehead against hers, "Okay. I'll see what I can do, Gabs,"

* * *

"I don't even know why I let you out of the house!" Sharpay snapped, as she stirred the Mac 'n' Cheeze she was making for dinner. Troy, Dylan, Zoë and Shaun (in a high chair) sat around the table, listening to Sharpay fume.

"Feeding a bookmark to a _squirrel_? Are you insane?" Sharpay cried, putting a bowl of cereal in front of Shaun and handing Troy a spoon, "Feed you son!"

Troy nodded and began offering Shaun the cereal, "Come on, Shar! I'm almost 23! Can't I have fun?"  
"Oh, yeah. 23, with two children who need you to be an _adult _sometimes!" Sharpay hissed, giving Zoë and Dylan a plate of Mac 'n' Cheeze. For a moment, her angry face melted and she smiled, bending down to the height of the kids.  
"Do you two want anything else?" she asked. Zoë shook her head.

"Can I have s'more milk?" Dylan asked. Sharpay kissed the top of his head.

"Sure, baby,"  
She straightened up and, glaring at Troy proceeded to the fridge to get the carton of milk out.

"Troy, you'll have to apologise," Sharpay muttered.

"Sharpay, _one _bookmark! The squirrel didn't even touch it!"  
Sharpay swung around, "You should just be happy I'm letting you keep your basketball!"  
Troy rolled his eyes, as Sharpay handed him his meal, "Well, thanks, _Mom_,"  
Sharpay glared at him, before grabbing his arm, "Let me talk to you,"  
She pulled him into the hall and glared at him, hands on hips, "Stop it,"  
"What?"  
"You are being an _awful _role-model to our children, and Gabriella's son! You need to grow up!" Sharpay insisted, "Me and Gabriella have! Even Ryan has! Are you that _hopeless _that you can't be an adult for your kids?"  
"Hey, they need one of their parents to be fun!" Troy snapped.

" 'Fun' I can work with. _Completely immature_, I can't work with!" Sharpay whisper-yelled, "This isn't even about the damn bookmark anymore. It's about you letting _me _be the horrible parent,"  
Troy sighed, and pulled Sharpay into a hug, "It's okay, baby. I promise I'll try and be a better role-model,"  
Sharpay didn't answer. She decided not to tell him she'd heard him say that many times in the last year.

* * *

Gabriella and Ryan had had a great evening out. The restaurant they were at was fabulous, and had had an amazing chance to reconnect.

"So," Gabriella beamed as a waiter poured them out some wine, "How's Sarah doing? It's her due date in four weeks,"  
Ryan nodded, "Yeah. She and Gary are very excited for their little boy to come along,"  
Gabriella giggled and put her hand on Ryan's, "Do you ever think about us expanding our family?"  
"I can't help it, can I?" Ryan laughed, surveying her in her tight red dress, "In a couple of months, you're not going to be able to fit in that dress,"  
Gabriella placed a hand on her stomach, "When should we tell the others?"  
Ryan shrugged, "Soon, I promise."  
"It'll have to be!" Gabriella grinned, "I'll be huge as a _whale _in three months,"  
"I'm sure you won't be _that _big at 6 months pregnant,"  
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Didn't you see Sharpay when she was 6 months along with Shaun?"  
Ryan cringed slightly, "Oh yeah,"  
The two began laughing again, before Ryan felt a cold hand on his shoulder, "Hiya, Ry-Ry,"  
Gabriella looked up and her face soured when she saw Clarissa standing over them. Ryan turned.

"Oh. Clarissa," he said shortly. Clarissa smiled and, uninvited, she grabbed a chair from an opposite table and drew up beside Ryan.

"Hello, Gabriella," Clarissa said contemptuously, "How are you?"  
Gabriella scowled, "I'm good. You look great! New nose?"  
Clarissa glared at the brunette, before turning to Ryan, "So, how about we go over the plan for my legal case?"  
Ryan shook his head, "Actually, no work tonight. It's a special evening,"  
He grinned across at Gabriella, who smiled back. Clarissa laughed happily.

"Great! Drinks all around!" Clarissa exclaimed, grabbing Gabriella's drink and downing it in one.

* * *

Taylor strolled through the supermarket, scanning shelves. Angel sat in her trolley, sucking her thumb and looking curiously around. Taylor was too absorbed in what she was doing to see someone in front of her, and her trolley collided with him.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Taylor gasped, looking up. She immediately froze when she saw whom it was.

"Taylor? Taylor _McKessie_?" the man cried.

Taylor stammered, "Oh…my God. William. It's been…"  
"Eight years," William answered immediately, fixing his glasses on the edge of his nose. He caught sight of Angel, "Who is this?"

"My daughter," Taylor murmured, picking Angel up and hugging her protectively.

William frowned, "You're…you're married?"  
Taylor nodded slowly. William's face soured.

"Do you remember the last time we saw each other?" William demanded, "It was my fifteenth birthday, and I had to move to Europe. You were fourteen. Do you remember the promise you made to me?"  
Taylor's face paled and, hugging Angel tightly; she abandoned her shopping cart and fled the store.

William watched Taylor run, and he smirked, reaching into her trolley and picking up a grape, popping it in his mouth.

* * *

"Do you remember that time in the hot tub, like, on our fourth date?" Clarissa asked suggestively, putting a hand on Ryan's thigh, "That was amazing!"  
Gabriella rolled her eyes, seeing where Clarissa's hand was stationed. Clarissa had been recounting Ryan sex stories all night, and kept putting her hand on Ryan's shoulder, hand, thigh, wherever!

"Five _amazing _hours," Clarissa crooned.

"Oh, that's it!" Gabriella snapped, getting to her feet, "I'm leaving."  
"Gabby, wait!" Ryan cried.  
"No!" Gabriella hissed, "I've had enough. Good_bye_!"  
With that, Gabriella stalked out the restaurant.

* * *

Sharpay sighed as she cleared up the house. The kids were all safely in bed, as was Troy, and she was left to tidy up the living room all alone. Sometimes, that man was insufferable!  
Sharpay's grumpy thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. She scowled at the clock. Who would come around at this time of night?

She ran out to the hall and pulled the door open, surprised to see Gabriella standing there, a downcast look on her face and her hair messy. She still wore a tight-fitting glitzy dress.

"Gabby?" Sharpay cried.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Gabriella asked, much to Sharpay's surprise. She nodded, and let the unhappy brunette in.

"What's wrong?" Sharpay asked.

Gabriella sighed, "I don't want to talk about it,"  
Sharpay still looked worried, "Is it Ryan?"  
Gabriella nodded; "Clarissa's back,"  
Sharpay immediately bristled at the name, and hugged Gabriella.

"Go upstairs. I'll lend you some pyjamas and you stay for as long as you need to,"  
Gabriella hugged her long-time friend tightly, "Thanks, Sharpay,"

* * *

_Hm…what do you think? Please tell me, I am very interested. I don't mind if it's nice comments or constructive criticism:D _

_REVIEW!_

_And in case some of you didn't get that, Gabriella's pregnant. About 3 months along, actually._


	4. Forgiveness and Flashbacks

_How-dilly-do-dilee? GAH!!!!! Is it obvious I've been watching The Simpsons' Movie??? Lol. Anyways, here is another part! I got a review from…someone _(**pooksta** LOL)_ saying the characters were being kinda selfish. Well, it's true. They are. Thanks for pointing that out:D and I'm gonna try and redeem them. I just needed Troy and Sharpay to seem to have a bit of a rocky relationship. I mean, c'mon! Why else would she cheat on him? Cos he was UGLY?? Ha!_

Disclaimer: Nope.

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

Forgiveness and Flashbacks

_"Happy birthday, William!"  
"Thanks, Tay!"  
"I can't believe you're leaving!" _

"_Well, we'll talk all the time, right? We're still best friends!"_

Taylor sat up with a gasp, drenched in sweat. She felt Chad sit up beside her, and his comforting arm wrap around her.

"You okay, Tay?" he asked worried. Taylor nodded mutely.

"Yes. Yeah, I'm fine," she murmured, looking out the window at the starry sky.

"It's a full moon tonight," she pointed out. Chad chuckled.

"Yeah. _Spooky_, right?"  
Chad kissed her cheek and lay down, mumbling "G'night," before starting to snore. Taylor slowly lay back down and curled into a ball, staring at the bright moon.

Why was William back? She had made that one _stupid _promise to him, like, nine years ago, and she had barely spoken to him since.

Well, she had. And it wasn't something she wanted to remember.

Before long, her eyes fluttered closed, and she fell asleep.

"_I don't want you to go live in Europe!"  
"We could make a friendship pact if you're worried…" _

"_We can do better then that, William!"_

When Taylor had been fourteen, she had her long black hair tied into braids, and she barely wore make-up, always showing off her natural beauty.

William had worn thick glasses, and he was tall and skinny, with unruly fiery red curls.

"_How about this, Will? When we meet again, whether it's in 10 or 20 years, we promise to get married!"_

"…_seriously?"  
"Yeah! Seriously! I mean, we're best friends."  
"Okay. I promise that I will someday marry you, Taylor Mckessie!"  
14-year-old Taylor smiled and looked around the garden. No one else was in sight. She winked at William, before picking up the cake knife and slowly slitting the tip of her finger, ignoring William's cringe. She then let a couple of droplets fall on William's hand, and her own, before she handed the knife to William and let him repeat the process. Then, Taylor grabbed William's bloodied hand with her own and shook it._

"_It's a deal!"_

"Taylor!"  
_"I love you, Taylor,"_

"Taylor!!"

_14-year-old Taylor laughed, "You can't love me! We're best friends,"  
"Well, I do! And always have…"_

"TAYLOR!"  
Taylor sat up, eyes wide. Chad was grinning at her, fully dressed.

"What the—?"

Chad laughed, "It's morning, Tay! Even Angel's up,"  
Taylor registered the light streaming in the window, and the clock that read _10:43_.

"Wow. Okay," she murmured, getting up and pulling on a dressing gown.  
"I was going to take Angel to the park," Chad grinned, "It's like she drank a litre of fully-caffeinated coffee this morning! She's bubbling!"  
As if on cue, Angel ran in, babbled something unintelligible to her mommy, and shot out again. Taylor blinked in surprise.

"Okay…"  
Chad kissed Taylor lightly, before pulling on his shoes and running after Angel.

* * *

When Gabriella Montez awoke, she couldn't help but feel…

Like crap.

She had deserted Ryan at that restaurant (with _Clarissa_!), and she had been far too harsh to him about this case. This _stupid _case! He was a trust-worthy, loving and fantastic husband and father, and she should be able to believe he'll be faithful to her, even around a complete skank like Clarissa! Instead, she yelled at him and came to her sister-in-law's house.

Great.

Gabriella tumbled out of bed and trudged downstairs, smiling as she smelt freshly brewed coffee and pancakes. She entered the kitchen, and laughed at the sight of Troy expertly flipping pancakes, Sharpay feeding Shaun and Dylan and Zoë having a flour fight.

"Hey, guys!" she grinned, as she scooped Dylan into a tight hug.

"Hi, Mommy," he beamed, struggling slightly in her arms, "Mommy, I gotta go attack Zoë! My defences are wide open!"  
Gabriella laughed and set Dylan atop the table, "You, little sir, have flour all over your jammies. Go upstairs, and get changed. You have baseball practise in an hour."  
Dylan's eyes widened and he jumped off the table, running upstairs and muttering about how Saturdays came too soon. Zoë smiled and kneeled on a chair, tugging Gabriella's sleeve.  
"Yes, pumpkin?" Gabriella smiled, kissing Zoë's head.

"I got ballet this morning. I've started dancing!"

Gabriella laughed, "That's great, sweetie! Have you got a tutu to show me?"  
Zoë nodded and followed Dylan upstairs. Gabriella sighed and sat at the table.

"Rough night?" Troy asked, handing her a plate of pancakes. She took them, trying not to recoil at the sudden odour.

"Yes," she said in a choked voice, "Not how I imagined spending the night of my first wedding anniversary,"  
Troy frowned, "You okay, Gabs?"  
Gabriella gagged slightly, "Yeah…"  
"Coffee?"  
She shook her head violently, "_God_, no!"  
Troy scowled, "I'm not _that _awful at making coffee!"

Sharpay looked up at her, "Not drinking coffee. Hating the smell of pancakes. It's like you're pregnant!"  
When Gabriella failed to laugh, Sharpay's face fell, "Oh my God, you_ are_, aren't you?!"  
Gabriella nodded slightly, sighing again. Troy grinned and pulled Gabriella into a hug, "Congrats, Gabriella! Oh my gosh! Does Ry know?"  
Gabriella nodded again, "Yeah. So does Dyl, but he's good at keeping a secret,"  
Sharpay patted Gabriella's hand, "Congratulations, Gabriella. How're you feeling?"  
Instead of answering, Gabriella gagged and leapt to her feet, dashing to the bathroom. Sharpay cringed and moved Shaun up against her shoulder.

"Poor Gabs," she crooned, kissing Shaun's head.

Troy smiled and leaned down, kissing Sharpay romantically. She frowned slightly.

"And that was for…?"  
"Apologizing." Troy grinned, sheepishly, "For being a bad boyfriend,"  
Sharpay grinned, "I'm sorry, too. So what if you tried to feed a squirrel a bookmark? I shouldn't be so cross about it. It's a tiny thing,"  
Troy nodded in agreement and kissed her again.

* * *

The house felt eerie. Over the last year, Taylor had hardly been alone in this big house that they'd bought shortly after Angel's birth.

Taylor crept into the kitchen, not wanting to make a noise in the silence. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a long gulp. She kept sipping it as she recounted her dreams from the night before. Well, they'd not exactly been _dreams_. They were her memories, from that fateful day in June '99. William's birthday.

He'd been moving to Europe, and she told him she would marry him the next time they met. He readily accepted this, and they made a 'blood pact'. Since he'd moved, they'd phone and wrote letters for about 6 months. Over those 6 months, William had become…creepier. Taylor shuddered, not wanting to rethink what had happened. She finished her coffee and put all these thoughts to the back of her mind. Suddenly, she felt a strange buzzing in the back of her skull, and a shiver went down her spine.

Something wasn't right.

She was being watched.

She spun around, her breathing shallow. The mug she was holding fell from her hands and fell with a crash to the floor. Taylor felt beads of sweat falling down her cheeks, as suddenly she felt her mind go blank, and her knees buckled. She fell to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

Clarissa sat in her bedroom, curled up in her bed with a cunning smile on her lips. She turned over and looked at the picture of her and Anthony on their wedding day. Beside Anthony was his best friend, Marco, and Suzi stood beside Clarissa. Clarissa was wearing a short white dress, clutching some flowers, which did little to cover the bump on her stomach. Clarissa scowled at the memory of the baby, which she had lost after the wedding. They had stayed married, though, because he loved her. She just loved Anthony's money. In the picture, Suzi looked very cross, and her normally pretty face was soured in a scowl. Clarissa had been having affairs throughout their marriage, before one of her lovers had grown too jealous, and shot Anthony. This lover (who happened to be the gardener, Paolo) had fled, and Clarissa had chosen not to rat the poor boy out. He was only fifteen, after all!

She felt a stirring beside her and she smiled as she rolled over.

"Hey, baby," said her latest 'bed-buddy'.

"Hi." Clarissa yawned, sitting up. Marco sat up beside her.

"It's been too long," Marco grinned, kissing her.

Clarissa smiled, "Yeah. The last time we were, ahem, _together_ was my wedding night,"  
"It was hard manoeuvring around that baby bump," Marco chuckled. Clarissa rolled her eyes and pushed Marco back down, swinging one leg over him and straddling him.

"Just be quiet," she ordered, before kissing him passionately. Marco rolled her over so he was on top, and began kissing her neck.

"Did you get a lawyer?" he asked in a muffled voice.  
"Yeah. Ryan Evans," Clarissa smiled, locking her legs around Marco's waist, "And I have a few _manoeuvres _that could get him to win my case,"  
"You gonna sleep with him?" Marco chuckled. Clarissa's smile grew.

"You bet," she murmured. Marco suddenly sat up, and climbed off of her.

"What?" Clarissa asked as he got off the bed.

"What am I, then?" he demanded, pulling his shirt on his otherwise bare body, "Just a toy?"  
Clarissa was silent for a moment before crying, "Yeah!"  
Marco scowled, "What if I don't want to be?"  
Clarissa smiled saucily, getting out of bed and walking up to Marco, "So, you want more then just me in bed?"

Marco faltered a moment. Clarissa grinned and unbuttoned his shirt, "That's what I thought,"

She pulled his shirt off of him, before kissing him passionately. Marco reciprocated, lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around him, and pushed her up against the wall.

"Be quiet!" she hissed in his ear, "We don't want to wake him up!"  
"Who?"  
Clarissa shrugged, "No one!"

"Who?" Marco asked, dropping her. Clarissa scowled and sat on the end of her bed.

She gestured for him to stand in front of her, and he did.

"Who is it – _whoa_!"  
Marco was interrupted by Clarissa distracting him with her mouth in the way only a _true _whore could!

* * *

When Ryan awoke, he immediately wished he hadn't, as he heard moans of ecstasy coming through the wall. _Someone _was getting some!  
He sat up and realised he wasn't at home. Before long, all the memories of the previous night came flooding back.

"_No!" Gabriella hissed, "I've had enough. Good__bye__!"  
With that, Gabriella stalked out the restaurant._

_After she had left, Ryan decided Clarissa's idea wasn't bad, so he kept drinking, not realising he was falling straight into her trap. Before long, he was completely wasted, and she was supporting him as he staggered into her house._

"_You okay, Ry-Ry?" Clarissa giggled as she opened the front door and led him in._

"_Sure…" Ryan mumbled, staggering slightly._

"_Don't worry," Clarissa whispered seductively, "Soon, you and I will be all alone, and I can—"_

_At that moment, they heard someone yelling "Clarissa!" and a man with greying hair tied into a ponytail came out another room, looking down at two glasses of champagne he held. Clarissa quickly shoved Ryan into the living room._

"_Marco!" she grinned, "What're you doing here?"  
Ryan lay on the floor, feeling woozy as Clarissa and this other man talked. He then heard the man go upstairs and Clarissa ran in, blouse half unbuttoned revealing a lacy red bra, and lipstick smeared over her face._

"_Erm, sorry!" she whispered, "I'm just gonna get you to a spare room and you can sleep while I…yeah."  
Clarissa then told him to go up the stairs, and go into the room three doors from the left. She ran up to her bedroom to see this Marco guy, and Ryan staggered into his room, falling on the bed and immediately falling asleep._

Ryan sat up and, ignoring his pounding headache, he got to his feet and left the room, running along the landing and down the stairs.

He finally got out of the house and, immediately recognizing where he was, he started the walk home.

* * *

Gabriella was sitting on the sofa, warmly wrapped in a woolly jumper and jeans, when Ryan came in, still in his smart suit. Gabriella's eyes widened when she saw the state of him.

"Ryan! What happened?" she exclaimed, getting up and running around to him, enveloping him in a hug.

"Gabby?" Ryan asked, looking down at her, "I thought you didn't like me anymore!"  
Gabriella chuckled, "You silly! Of course I like you; I love you,"  
Gabriella's smile fell and she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Ry-Ry. I should trust you more, and I can't tell you what to do with your work. If anything, I should be encouraging you to go and get the big cases. Can you forgive me?"  
Ryan smiled and nodded, "Of course, darling. You know I love you too, and I would _never _betray you. Especially with someone as repulsive as Clarissa,"  
Gabriella laughed and wrapped him in another hug, "I love you!"  
Ryan kissed her cheek, "Love you too, babe,"

* * *

"The duckies were _coot_!" Angel laughed as Chad led her into the house. He tutted.

"_Cute_, Angel. Not _coot_," he grinned, "Now, how about you run upstairs and play, yeah?"  
"Yeah!" Angel cried enthusiastically, running upstairs. Chad smiled after her, before realising there was no sign of Taylor.

"Tay?" he called loudly, beginning to search. He couldn't find her in the living room or dining room, so he walked into the kitchen. He felt a huge sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw a smashed mug on the floor.

"Tay?" he yelled with added urgency, as he ran upstairs and searched there. To his horror, he found a window smashed in the spare bedroom, and when he ran into Angel's room, he saw the window was wide open, with a piece of fabric hanging off the latch. With trembling hands, he took the fabric and recognized the pattern of Taylor's dressing gown.

"Taylor!" he yelled, running down the stairs two at a time and running into the street.

"_Taylor_?!!" he screamed, ignoring the odd looks he was receiving from his neighbours, "TAYLOR!"

* * *

_Sob sob. WHY DID TAYLOR HAVE TO GOOOOO??????????_

_Sorry. Spaz. :D Anyways, I hope the characters were nicer in this chapter. Boy, it was kinda long, wasn't it???_

_Oh, one more thing! I'd love it if you can check out my poll. It's for my ideas for a new story :) If you have already seen it, cool, thanks. Y'know, I put the choice _**Stop Writing. You Suck!! **_on the poll, and 2 people chose that. Do I really suck? - :( Should I just stop writing?_

**REVIEW!!!**


	5. Problems Arise

_Disclaimer: Nooooooooooo!

* * *

_

The World Changes and Rearranges

Problems Arise

Sharpay leapt out of the car, baby Shaun in her arms, and ran for the door. Troy left the car more slowly, and scooped Zoë up in his arms, then headed for Chad's house. When he got inside, he found Sharpay barring the doorway, looking lost as she watched the swarms of police officers that were swarming the house, searching for clues. They finally saw Chad, hugging Angel tightly as he sat on the couch in the living room. Sharpay shoved Shaun into Troy's spare arm, before heading over to him and engulfing the pair in a hug.

"Chad!" she sobbed, "I am so sorry! Omigod, I can't believe any of this is happening!"

Chad sniffled slightly, trying not to appear to upset in front of the distressed toddler sitting in his arms. Troy made his way over.

"Hey, Chad," he said quietly, obviously at a loss to say anything better. Chad smiled up at him, as Sharpay finally detached herself from him.

"I can't believe she was kidnapped!" she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Troy turned his eyes downwards, looking down at Shaun who had fallen asleep in his arms.

"Uncle Chad?" Zoë said. Chad looked up at the curious child.

"Yes, sweetie?"  
"What's happening?" she asked, her eyes watching all the police officers, "Where's Aunty Tay?"  
Troy looked, horrified, to his daughter, while Sharpay burst into a fresh flood of tears and Chad's eyes filled with tears.

Chad set Angel on the seat beside him and stood up, taking Zoë from Troy.

"She's gone away for a while, darling," he murmured, "But she'll be back."  
"Soon?" Zoë asked hopefully. Chad's face fell, so he merely shrugged. Luckily, that was the moment a small curly haired boy darted to his feet.

"Zo! Zo! Zo!" Dylan proceeded to cry excitedly. Zoë's face lit up and she wriggled in Chad's arms, until she was put down and she grabbed Dylan's hand.

"Hi, Dyl!" Zoë laughed.

"Wanna go play?" Dylan asked. Zoë nodded and the two ran off, followed by Angel. Troy gulped and handed Shaun to Chad.

"Where are you going?" Chad asked.

"Well, if there's a kidnapper around here, I've got to keep an eye on them!" Troy exclaimed, before running after the three. Sharpay scowled at her boyfriend's thoughtlessness, and got up, putting a hand on Chad's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Chad," she murmured, leaning her head against his shoulder, "Troy's just worried about Zoë,"  
"I get it," Chad murmured, looking down at Shaun.

"How're you feeling?" Sharpay asked, honestly curious.

Chad sighed, "I don't know what to do with myself. My wife is gone, and who knows what happened! For all I know, she could be d-de-…"  
Chad couldn't finish his sentence, and he hung his head, a few tears leaking from his eyes. Sharpay's lip trembled at this sorry man's state.

"Sharpay! Chad!"

They looked up to see Gabriella and Ryan heading towards them. Gabriella was wearing sweatpants, a baggy t-shirt, and her hair was a mess, and her eyes were red and puffy.  
Sharpay took Shaun from Chad just as Gabriella leapt at him, pulling him into a hug.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Chad!" she whispered, "I can't believe this would happen! Taylor is _missing_, and—"

Ryan placed a hand on his wife's back, and looked sympathetically at Chad, "We're all really sorry, Chad, and we'll do whatever it takes to find Taylor. I promise,"  
Chad smiled slightly, "Thanks, guys. Actually, are you free tomorrow? The police suggested that I put up Missing posters around town, and I could use some help,"  
"Of course!" Sharpay insisted, "I just need to find the kids a babysitter, and me and Troy will be there. Zoë's learning how to read and she'll figure out what _actually _happened to Taylor,"  
Gabriella nodded, letting go of Chad and wiping her face, "Yeah, same with Dylan."  
Then, she turned to her husband and whispered, "Can you come, Ryan?"  
He shuffled uncomforting, "I wish I could, guys, really, but I have a meeting and it's really important—"

"That's alright, man." Chad sighed, "The four of us should do it,"  
Ryan put a hand on Chad's shoulder, "We'll find her, alright, Chad? We will!"  
Chad pulled up the corners of him mouth in a slight smile, "Thanks, guys,"  
Gabriella sniffled and wrapped an arm around Ryan's waist, leaning her head against his shoulder, "You really think we'll find her?"  
"Absolutely!" Ryan cried, positively, "Look, you've got half of the police force out here!"  
A couple of officers scowled at his loud voice, but continued working.

* * *

When Sharpay Evans awoke the next morning, she had managed to convince herself that this whole Taylor missing thing was just a dream. She was certain that everything would go as normal. She'd feed the children, call Gabriella and Taylor up and they'd go out for a nice shopping trip!  
Unfortunately, this alternative universe was shattered when she became aware of the newsreaders voice, and she sat up to see Troy watching the early morning news. 

"…_police are currently searching the house of Taylor and Chad Danforth, where Taylor was last seen yesterday. The 23-year-old has believed to have been abducted while her husband and daughter Angel were out at the park…_"  
Sharpay groaned and buried her face in her pillow. Troy looked up and sighed.

"I didn't mean to wake you,"  
"Then, you shouldn't have turned on the television!" Sharpay groaned. Troy chuckled slightly, then climbed across the bed and lay beside Sharpay, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"We'll find Taylor, Shar," he murmured in her ear, "I promise, we will,"  
"What if we don't?" Sharpay asked tearfully. Troy didn't answer for some time.

"I don't know," he replied. Sharpay sighed and placed her hands on top of his.

* * *

"What is there to discuss? They're accusing me of shooting him, I didn't, help me here!" Clarissa exclaimed. Ryan rolled his eyes, exasperated. He'd only been in this meeting half an hour, and he felt (and looked!) like he'd been working a whole day!  
"_Did _you kill him?" he demanded. 

"No!"  
"Do you know anyone who might've?"  
"…no?"  
"That sounded slightly uncertain, Mrs. Robinson!" he muttered.

"Call me Clarissa!"  
"No,"  
"Okay then. Look, while we were married, I did have…_one _affair."  
"One?"  
"Or two. Maybe five. Damn it, you know me too well!" Clarissa exclaimed, "Look, my lover may've killed him, but he's gone! I don't know where he is!"  
Ryan sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, "His name. Do you know his name?"  
"Yeah."

"Tell me it then!"  
"I can't!"

"Why?"  
"He's a tad on the…young side…"  
"Oh Lord!"  
Clarissa sighed and lent forward, "Look, let's not talk business for a sec. Let's be two old friends catching up!"  
Ryan scowled, "We're trying to save you from being sent to _jail_, Mrs. Robinson!"  
"Call…me…_Clarissa_!" she snapped, sounding very frustrated.

"Fine…_Clarissa_." Ryan cried, trying not to shudder, "We can't talk personal. We're busy with business."

Clarissa thought for a second, before smiling and getting to her feet, walking around the desk and standing over him. Ryan looked up at her. She wore a (tight) red sweater which showed (a lot of) her cleavage, and she had a (short) black skirt, and knee-high boots.

"You're right!" she grinned, leaning down, "Let's get down to business!"

She then grabbed him by his collar and forced her mouth onto his, pulling apart his lips and shoving her tongue into his mouth. He gagged and tried to pull away, but Clarissa had too strong a grip.  
Clarissa then lent down to reach under the chair, pulling a lever and the chair fell back, leaving Ryan in a half lying down position. She then pulled her legs up and straddled him, kissing him heatedly and her hands worked their way down his chest, undoing buttons.

Ryan kept fighting with her, until finally he managed to push her off balance and she toppled off of him, only keeping her balance by grabbing the desk.

"No, Clarissa!" he yelled. He was about to yell at her more, when the door opened and Sarah (his secretary) walked in.

"Mr. Evans, I – oh."  
Sarah's eyes widened, as she took in the sight of Clarissa, looking rather frazzled, and her boss with his shirt half undone. Ryan was also wearing the same shade of red lipstick as Clarissa was.

"Erm…never mind," Sarah babbled, backing out of the room. Ryan had turned red in humiliation, and as soon as the door slammed, he scowled at Clarissa.

"Well," Clarissa beamed, before grabbing the hem of her sweater and pulling it over her head, revealing a lacy blue bra, "Shall we start from where we were?"  
"_No_!" Ryan yelled as Clarissa advanced on him, "Clarissa, I'm happily married! We're going to have a baby in six months!"  
Clarissa shrugged, "What is your point?"  
"I'm not going to ruin my relationship over a slut like _you _every AGAIN!" Ryan bellowed. Clarissa face turned red in fury.

"You'll regret this!" she screeched, before pulling her shirt back on and, grabbing her purse, left the room.

* * *

_Well? What do you think? I am a little worried, guys, because reviews have been lacking in both this story and my _Hairspray _story. Am I that bad??? Do I leave you SPEECHLESS WITH THE TERRIBLENESS?_

_No?_

_THEN REVIEW!!!!!!!!! ...please? Else I won't update! -sniffles dejectedly- And I love to update._

_Oh, and did you notice I changed my name - :D It is now _T h e-S h o w-M u s t-G o-O n7_. I rather like it. :D_


	6. Posters

Disclaimer: -laughs-

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges 

_Posters_

"Have you seen this woman?"

"Excuse me? Have you seen this woman?"

"Our friend is missing. Have you seen her?"

Sharpay groaned and flopped onto a park bench, shortly followed by Gabriella, who looked pooped.

"I shouldn't be working in my condition," she grumbled, a hand resting on her stomach.  
"Neither should we," Sharpay grinned, smiling down at baby Shaun, who was asleep in his pouch, resting against Sharpay's chest.

Troy stood over them, glaring at the posters in his arms, "Has anyone even had a proper look at these?"  
The posters in questions where large sheets, with the word **MISSING **stamped in large red letters at the top, and a picture of Taylor underneath. It was a picture from Gabriella and Ryan's wedding, and she was grinning at the camera, happily. Her hair was swept up and she was laughing at something the photographer had said. Under that, there were details about her.

"I doubt that," Sharpay sighed, "I kinda wish Ryan was here to help. He always has such a positive outlook.

"He is now!"

The trio turned to see Ryan walking across the green to them, with the top buttons on his shirt undone, revealing a white undershirt, and the sleeves pulled up to the elbow. He had flung his jacket carelessly over the shoulder, and was holding it buy the collar. He had also removed his tie and tied it around his head.

"You look _ridiculous_!" Gabriella laughed.

"Hi! Nice to see you too," Ryan said jokingly, pecking his wife on the lips. Sharpay waved lazily.  
"How long have you guys been doing this?" Ryan asked, as all three looked like they had just worked 70 hours every week for the last year!"

"Erm…'bout an hour," Troy said with a shrug. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"I can understand these two getting tired easy, but _you_!" Ryan laughed, gesturing at Troy. He scowled playfully.  
"Hey, guys,"  
Ryan looked up as Chad walked towards them, hands dug deep in his pockets and looking incredibly miserable.

"Hey," Sharpay said quietly, getting up, "How're you holding up, Chad?"  
"How do you think?" Chad said, in a monotone. Sharpay's face softened.

"You must be exhausted," she murmured, "Come on, let's go get some lunch, alright?"  
"Yeah, okay," Chad said, not putting up much fight as Gabriella took one arm and Sharpay took the other, and they both pulled him towards the exit of the park.

Ryan and Troy looked at each other.

"I don't know what to say to him," Troy said suddenly, "He's going through all this shit, and I can't think of anything at all to say to him,"  
"I just say whatever comes out," Ryan grinned, "Luckily for me, it's good stuff,"  
Troy smirked slightly, "I'm just so upset that I can't be as good at comforting it as my girlfriend is. I'm his _best _friend!"

"I know. So perhaps you don't have to say anything," Ryan suggested, before following the retreating trio. Troy stood thoughtfully for a moment, before following.

By the time Troy got to the café the others had entered, they were all sitting down and pouring over menus. Troy pulled up a chair beside Chad and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Chad looked up and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, man," he said quietly. Troy's smile grew.

"No problem," Troy grinned at his old friend.

* * *

Clarissa had spent two hours practising her fake crying before her meeting with Harold Krutzer, Larry Trope and Benjamin Cunningham. Krutzer, Trope and Cunningham where the partners of lawyers that Ryan worked for. Clarissa would've spent another hour working on her fake crying, but Marco had come over, asking for…well, I shouldn't have to go into detail. Clarissa didn't have time for full-on sex, but she performed a act that definitely made the trip worth his while. (**A/N: Eww…0.o**).

So, she had left Marco in the living room, panting, to head to her meeting, but not before calling a reminder over his shoulder to put on his boxers and pants before leaving, and she had headed to the offices of Cunningham, Krutzer and Trope.

And here is where she sat now, bawling her eyes out as the three men looked on worriedly. Larry Trope was holding out a tissue box.

"What did Mr. Evans do, sweetie?" he asked.

"W-well…" Clarissa began, hiccupping slightly, "F-first, he tries to kiss me, then he _assaulted _me!"  
The three men looked in shock at each other as Clarissa burst into a fresh flood of tears.

"Are you sure it wasn't an accident?" Krutzer asked. Clarissa kept crying, trying to think of an answer. He wasn't believing her. Of course, she came up with the only solution.

"You've got to believe me! He called me a _whore_! Do I look like a whore?" she exclaimed, grabbing her blue sweater roughly and _'accidentally' _pulling it down to reveal a shot of her cleavage. The men glanced at each other.

"Maybe we should look into this Evans," Cunningham muttered.

"I always thought he seemed a little odd," Krutzer answered.

"He sexually assaulted me! You've got to disbar him," Clarissa demanded, falling to her knees and grabbing Trope's hands, tears flooding down her pretty face, "I don't want any other women suffering the humiliation!"

"Well," Trope sighed, "It is policy to disbar if a claim like this is made, and then we have to research into it,"  
"You'll disbar him?" Clarissa asked hopefully.

The three men simultaneously nodded, each trying not to show their disappointment. Clarissa got up and smiled.

"If you need me, hear is my number," Clarissa smiled, leaning past Trope and writing her number on a bit of paper. She glanced across at Trope and whispered discreetly in his ear, "If you need me for _anything_…anything at all,"  
Trope's eyebrows raised as Clarissa pressed the paper into his hand. She winked at him and left. The three men all sighed.

"Such a sad case," Cunningham murmured.

"That lad had such promise," Krutzer said.

"I thought he was happily married," Trope exclaimed, "Why would he attack her?"  
Cunningham laughed cruelly, "Can you _blame _him?! She looks like she's _begging _for it!"

The other two chuckled slightly.

* * *

Clarissa stepped out into the street, smiling evilly. Well, she had probably ruined Ryan's career. Served that bastard right; rejecting her!  
She began walking along the sidewalk, but then a piece of paper got stuck to the heel of her shoe, and she sighed, reaching down and pulling it off. She looked and the paper and laughed. A _Missing _poster for Ryan's pal, Taylor. Here's hoping the bitch was never found!  
She laughed again and crumpled the paper up, chucking the ball into the road. Clarissa smiled and kept walking, leaving her path of destruction behind.

* * *

_Hmm……probably a crap chap., but okay! Anyways, have you checked out my new oneshot? It's called _Letter at Graduation _and it IS a Chadpay, but it isn't utterly terrible:D And, I also have a beta profile up is anyone's interested._

**Review!!**


	7. Zoë In The Woods

_Wow, it's been millenniums since I've update, hasn't it? Anyways, I felt I owed you good people an APOLOGY! I was ranting on about not having enough reviews when really I've been getting a lot of support! Forgive me:D _

_Anyways, this is kinda a filler chapter, when we FINALLY see Taylor again and Zoë goes for a wander. Enjoy._

Disclaimer: No!

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_Zoë In The Woods_

Her head was pounding, and her entire body ached. She rolled over and groaned, snuggling into Chad's chest and sighing. The two of them must've got wasted or something the night before.

"That was quite a night," a voice chuckled in her ear. Her eyes widened and she sat up, looking into the smug face of a man who wasn't her husband.

"You!" she shrieked, "What happened last night?!"

He sat up, beetle black eyes twinkling, "Well, we made love. As two people in a relationship like ours are supposed to!"  
"R-r…_relationship_?" Taylor repeated, scuttling away from him and pulling her shirt up to cover herself, "I am _married_! To a man I love dearly! You are just a boy I made a stupid promise to _years _ago!"  
His face soured, "You still made that promise, and you are _mine _now! Do you hear me?"  
Taylor scowled and attempted to get further away, only to find he had tied her ankle to the bedpost on a short chain.

"You whack job!" she exclaimed.

"Don't speak like that, Tay-Tay," he soothed, reaching out and brushing her cheek with his hand, causing her to shiver, "I love you baby,"

Then he kissed her, pushing her up against the wall. She kept her mouth clamped tight and kicked out at him with her legs, causing him to topple off the bed, winded.

"Feisty!" he snapped, "I guess a couple of hours without a meal should cure that, huh?"  
Taylor merely smirked defiantly and spat at him, making him even angrier. With a slam of the door, he was gone, leaving Taylor in the dreary room he had been holding her in.

Taylor sighed and pulled the shirt over her head. She knew what had happened that night was because he had drugged her, and she had woken up with hazy vision; not recognizing the man who was with her. She shuddered and the memories and curled into a ball, shaking violently as she silently prayed Chad would find her soon…

* * *

"There you are!"  
Zoë squealed as her dad grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her into his arms, tickling her ribs. She laughed and tried feebly to swot him away, as baby Shaun watched amused from his pram.

"Okay! Lemme go hide again!" Zoë declared, wriggling out of her father's arms and falling with a soft _thump _on the grass of the park. Troy nodded and took his station beside Shaun, covering his eyes and loudly counting, "One…two…three…"

Zoë ran from her father, running towards a line of hedges lining the edges of the park. She knew that beyond this particular line of hedges was a hilly forest, but it was a good place to hide!  
With one last glance back at Troy, she threw herself through the prickly bush and rolled onto the soft forest floor. She looked up and eyed the tall trees that surrounded her, and she climbed onto her feet. Zoë could still hear her dad counting.

"Twenty-one, twenty-two…!"

She giggled and walked away from the hedge, where the hole she had made would make her an easy target. She found a large tree and hid behind it, barely breathing.

Suddenly…

"Hello, dear,"  
Zoë shrieked in shock as she felt a hand lay on her shoulder, and a voice spoke in her ear. She spun around and stared in surprise at the man behind her.

"Who are you?" she demanded, cross at being surprised like that.

"I could ask you the same question," the man chuckled, picking her up (much to her protest, "Are you lost, sweet pea?"  
"No," Zoë said defiantly.

"What's your name?"  
"Zoë Evans-Bolton," she mumbled.

"I know you!" the man suddenly laughed, "You're Troy Bolton's daughter,"  
Zoë's eyes widened, "You know my daddy?"  
The man shook his head, "No. I know your auntie Taylor Danforth."  
The girl's eyes widened even more, "Uncle Chad said she went on holiday!"

"No," the man said, "She…left Uncle Chad and came to stay with me. Would you like to come see her?"  
"YEAH!" Zoë shrieked enthusiastically, causing the mysterious man to flinch at her loudness.

"Okay. Be a little quieter and I'll take you to her,"

* * *

The man lived on at the bottom of a hill. The man had carried Zoë up quite a steep slope and was now walking her down the hill towards a little cottage, which to Zoë looked very lonesome.

He opened the door which revealed a single large room, with a wooden table with four chairs, a cooker and fridge, and an old iron bed. The house had no heating and Zoë shivered.  
The man led her to the only other door in the house, and this one had a lock on it. With his free hand, he pulled out a key and unlocked the door, opening it and allowing Zoë in. She was thrust into small dingy room, with no windows. There was almost no light, except for a naked bulb hanging from the roof, with was swinging and allowed disjointed visions of each corner of the room. The dim light illuminated a face Zoë hadn't seen in a while.

"Tay-Tay!" she exclaimed, lunging at the surprised woman.

"Zoë?" she whispered, pulling the tiny girl into a hug, "What are you doing here?"  
"He brought me," Zoë grinned, pointing at the man who stood in the corner. Taylor's eyes narrowed at him.

"Tay, when're you comin' home?" Zoë asked, sitting comfortably in Taylor's lap.

"Soon," Taylor said.

The man cleared his throat angrily from the corner and picked Zoë off of Taylor.

"I'd best be getting you back to your daddy," he said, scowling at Taylor. He then dragged Zoë out of the house, ignoring Taylor's protests.

He carried Zoë back to the spot where they had met, where it was easy for her to get home.

"So, Zoë, can I trust you to keep this a secret?" he asked.

"Okay, mister," Zoë grumbled.

"Don't call me mister. You can call me Uncle Willy,"

Zoë giggled immaturely, "Okay Uncle…_Willy_,"  
'Willy' rolled his eyes and patted her head, "It's our little secret, princess. Don't tell a soul,"  
"Okay!" Zoë grinned, "Bye-bye,"  
"Bye-bye,"

Zoë waved and ran back towards the hedge, lunging through the hole. Before she had even touched the ground, Troy had grabbed her and swooped her into a bone crushing hug.

"Zoë! Where _were _you? I was worried sick!"

"I was with Unc—" Zoë caught herself, remembering not to tell her secret.

"I just found a really good hiding place," she beamed, "Sorry I worried you,"  
"What were you gonna say?" Troy asked, " 'I was with…'?"

"That's nothing, Daddy," Zoë smiled, "Nothing at all!"

* * *

_Yeah, I know Albuquerque probably isn't hilly, and probably doesn't have woods, but for the sake of this story, it does. It'll be important for my SAD ending. :(_

_REVIEW!!_


	8. A Lawyer in Trouble With The Law

Disclaimer: _After all this time you STILL haven't gathered the truth? _

The World Changes and Rearranges

_A Lawyer in Trouble With The Law_

Ryan sat in his office, whistling as he read through his newest divorce case, his reading glasses perched on his nose. He had left Gabriella watching a movie with Dylan, even though he longed to sit by the television in the warm room with his family. Instead, he was sitting at his desk in quite a cold room, reading a report about a woman who wanted a divorce on the grounds of adultery, and wanted complete custody of their three children so she could move them with her to Alaska.

_He loved his job…he loved his job…_

Ryan kept repeating this in his mind like a mantra, until there was a loud and urgent knock at his door. He raised his head to see his bosses, Krutzer, Trope and Cunningham standing in the doorway, all with ashen faces. Ryan frowned, before in the dimmed hallway behind them, he saw the glint of a police officers' badge. The three men and two police officers stepped in.

"Oh God!" Ryan exclaimed, "You found Taylor, didn't you? Was she murdered? Raped? Beheaded? _Tortured_! Oh sweet Jesus – hold up…why're you…_here_, instead of with her family?" 

One policeman stepped forward, hands clasped neatly behind his back. He was a stout (and rather large) man, with untrusting green eyes and grey hair, with a heavy set moustache.

"Hello, Mr. Evans," he said in a Texan drawl, "We're here investigating an assault charge made by one of your clients,"

"Who?"  
"A Clarissa Robinson," 

Ryan's face soured, "Oh…_her_."  
"You must understand, Evans!" Krutzer fumed, "This is a serious charge! Assault is a terrible thing to put a woman through,"  
"I _didn't_!" Ryan insisted, standing up, "Why would I assault her? I knew her way back when – she is an ex-girlfriend…"

"Oh Lord," Cunningham moaned, "I've seen many an ex-girlfriend attacked by an ex-boyfriend. The boyfriend always knows _exactly _what he's getting and how good it is, so he wants more,"  
Ryan shuddered, "I wouldn't _want _'more' of her! I'm perfectly happy with my wife."  
"Well, Mr. Evans," the other officer spoke. This one was smaller, with a face that usually had a big smile on it, but today he looked sadder, and he had thick black hair (obviously 'good cop'), "Until either the charges are dropped or you are proved innocent…or guilty...you must cease work here,"  
"What?" Ryan whispered.

"You're disbarred, Evans," Trope snapped, "Pack up your desk and leave. I guess we'll see you in court,"

* * *

"You've been…_disbarred_?" Gabriella whispered an air of shock about her. Ryan nodded slowly.

"Clarissa said I…assaulted her…"  
"_Assaulted_?" Gabriella exclaimed, "I can't believe it! That sly bitch is just trying to ruin our happy lives!"  
Then she paused, "_Did _you assault her?"  
Ryan shifted uncomfortably, "Well…not in the way she's accusing me of!"  
"Ryan!"  
"I may've shoved her away! She wouldn't stop kissing me!"  
"_What_!"  
Gabriella's eyes were now bright with tears, "Wait…kissing you? Like…_kissing_?"  
Ryan nodded sadly. Gabriella whimpered, covering her mouth.

"Gabriella, I'm—" Ryan began, stepping forward and taking her hand. Gabriella whimpered again and yanked it away, stepping back.

"So…you've been accused of assaulting a woman, which you _did_, and you were kissing her?" she said.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't in my right mind!" Ryan insisted, "It's not like I tried to _rape _her!" 

Gabriella stumbled back, looking away from him.

"Gabby, I really wish none of this happened, but I need your support right now,"

Gabriella looked up at him, angry, "You need my support? My husband was just disbarred for _assaulting _a woman! The same woman who he kissed while married to _me_! The same woman he left me for over two years ago! What I need is some _peace _in my life while I'm pregnant! Do you have any idea of the stress I'm under!"  
Gabriella was breathing deeply and she wriggled away further from Ryan's outstretched arms, yelling up the stairs, "Dylan! _Dylan_, come down here! Fetch your coat,"  
Ryan's eyes widened, "Where're you going?"  
"Away! From this man who isn't the man I married," Gabriella whispered, as Dylan climbed down the stairs.

"Mommy?"  
Gabriella smiled down at him, swooping him up, "C'mon, pumpkin,"  
Without looking once more at her husband; she left the house, tears still streaming down her face.

* * *

Sharpay was sitting on Troy's lap, giggling as he kissed her neck when the doorbell rang. Troy had whispered at her to leave it, and they would enjoy the evening together, but Sharpay was far too polite, so she left a grumbling Troy and opened the front door, surprised to see her sister-in-law standing there, tears in her large brown doe eyes and clutching her son tightly.

"Gabriella, why're you…?" Sharpay began, but Gabriella cut over her.

"I think my marriage is over," 

Sharpay's eyes widened, and in a flash Troy was by her side.

"_Over_?" Troy exclaimed, guiding the tired brunette in, "Why?"  
"Ryan was disbarred," Gabriella whimpered, "After being accused of sexually assaulting that whore Clarissa," 

"What?" Sharpay cried.

"That's such a load of crap!" Troy laughed, "You know he'd never do anything like that…don't you, Gabzee?"  
Gabriella's eyes widened at the pet name Troy had invented for her during the Lava Springs summer. Ryan had taken to calling her that as well. Just by thinking about him, she buried her face in Troy's shoulder and cried pathetically. 

* * *

Zoë sat in her room, singing softly as she played with her rag dolly, Penny. Zoë hadn't stopped thinking about Uncle Willy, and Aunty Taylor. Were they actually together?  
Zoë hugged Penny tightly. She longed to see Taylor again, and Willy seemed nice too. She smiled surely to herself. Next Saturday, she would ask her parents if she could go to the park. Then, she'd jump through those hedges into the forest, and trek to find the cottage again.

Suddenly, Zoë got a great idea!  
Yes! She's take Dylan with her! The four of them could have so much fun!  
Zoë smiled smugly at the brilliance of her idea, and began planning all the fun games they could play.

* * *

_I like Zoë. She's one of my favourite OCs ever! _

_Whereas, I _hate _you people!  
Well, I don't! YOU ARE THE WIND BENEATH MY WINGS!  
I still hate you._

_What's wrong with a less-than-fairytale perfect-ending? Erm…-shifty eyes-_

_Anyways, don't answer that. I LOVE you! REVIEW!_


	9. Can Love Overcome All Obstacles?

Sorry about the long wait Sorry about the long wait! I'm a terrible updater, lol :D

_Okay, I know some people have been a bit sceptical about Gabriella leaving Ryan but I'm going to shove 'em back together soon lol :D _

_Troy may be MEGA OOC in this._

_Disclaimer:__ STOP TAUNTING ME! _

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_Can Love Overcome All Obstacles?_

Albuquerque slipped into November, and the weather became cold, wet and…well, miserable, which wasn't at all normal in the usually humid city.

Gabriella sat on a window seat, watching a drop of rain make it's way down the window. It fell down as easily as the tears fell down her face. She sniffled sadly and hugged her nightgown tightly around her body, laying her hands on her stomach, where her second child grew.

She pulled her gaze from the window and looked to the bed propped against the wall of Sharpay's guest bedroom. Sharpay didn't have enough rooms for her and Dylan, so both of them were sharing a double bed. Dylan lay curled up directly in the centre of the bed, brown curls sticking up. Gabriella smiled, an image of Ryan asleep with blonde tufts sticking from his head in her mind. Finally she moved her gaze to the clock.

_3:48 AM_

She sighed and removed one hand from her belly, looking at the rings that lay on her fourth finger. One was a simple wedding band, which was inscribed with the words _Forever Yours _on the middle. The other was a beautiful engagement ring, with a twisted gold band with four diamonds in it, and in the centre a gorgeous moonstone. Ryan had proudly informed her it was a 18 carat white gold ring, 5mm moonstone and diamonds. She chuckled at her husband's superior knowledge of jewellery. **(Pic of ring in profile!)**.

She twirled the ring around her finger and sighed. Ryan wouldn't hurt her intentionally. Clarissa was just trying to ruin their happiness. Gabriella giggled, putting her reaction down to crazy pregnancy hormones.

Gabriella climbed off the seat, and climbed into bed beside Dylan. He stirred and opened his eyes, blinked at Gabriella.

"Mommy," he yawned, "When're we gonna go back to Daddy?"

Gabriella smiled and kissed his forehead, "Soon. We're going to work it out, baby,"

* * *

The good mood Dylan had been put in at the prospect at going home to his dad was smashed the next day, as he was pulled through a bush by his cousin Zoë, and into the woods. And, it was raining. Hard.

"Zoë!" Dylan moaned, "You got leaves and mud all over me,"  
Zoë merely giggled and galloped off, slipping and sliding through the mud. Dylan chose to follow, but at a slower pace. He finally caught up to Zoë when she slipped and had to cling onto a tree for safety.

"Where're we going, Zoë?" Dylan asked impatiently, as Zoë pulled him up a hill.

As they reached the top, Zoë came to a shuddering halt and pointed to a small hut at the bottom of the hill, "There! To Aunty Taylor,"

Dylan looked baffled, "But she's missing, Zoë!"

"I know where she is!"

"Who told you?"  
Zoë looked at Dylan, her brown eyes glittering excitedly, "You're about to meet him,"

With that, Zoë took Dylan's hand and ran down the hill, dragging the surprised boy along. They finally got to the cabin and Zoë knocked on the door impatiently.

"Zoë, this isn't a good idea," Dylan warned, "What about our Mommies and Daddies?"  
"I told them we were going to go to Hannah-Lou's house for a sleepover," Zoë told him, reminding him of the little bags she'd pretended to pack and left near the hedges. Hannah-Lou was referring to a mutual friend of theirs at school.

"But we're not! Where will we sleep?"  
"My friend will let us stay here the night!"

Suddenly, the door opened, and a tall man stood there.

"Zoë!"  
"Hi, Uncle Willy! This is my cousin, Dylan."  
_'Uncle Willy' _'s gaze shifted to Dylan, who trembled in fright. His daddy often warned him about _'stranger danger'_.

"Well, hello," the man grinned, "Come on in. I assume you'd like to see your Aunty Taylor,"  
Zoë nodded, and pointed Dylan towards a door at the back of the room, which was slightly ajar. Dylan curiously headed towards it. Zoë was about to follow before a hand landed on her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Hey," William whispered in her ear, "This is our little secret, remember, Zoë?"  
"Yes, Mister," Zoë smiled.

William smiled and let her go, and she ran into the grubby room, grinning at the sight of Taylor.

As Zoë stepped in, she didn't see William coming up until he'd slammed the metal door and the lock clicked.

* * *

Gabriella climbed down the stairs, hanging up the phone. Her doctor had just called to schedule an appointment the next day. Sharpay and Troy smiled at her from the kitchen table.

"Hey, Gabs,"  
Gabriella looked around, "Where're the kids?"  
"Oh, Dylan and Zoë went around to sleep-over at Hannah-Lou's house and Shaun's taking a nap," Sharpay told her, "I was gonna go help Chad look around the city again, but he's in a meeting with the police,"  
Gabriella nodded, sitting down.

"Did you sleep alright?"  
Gabriella shrugged, "I couldn't sleep until about 3 AM. I kept thinking about Ryan."  
Troy took a sip of coffee, rolling his eyes.

"I want to sort this all out, but…what if he's lying to me?"  
"I'm sure he's not." Troy snapped suddenly, "He's your _husband_, Gabby. Have some faith in him and believe he wouldn't do this. How can you really love him if you _don't even trust him_?"  
"I do trust him!" Gabriella exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Well, act like you do," Troy said, finishing his coffee and getting up, putting it in the sink. Gabriella had tears sparkling in her eyes and she stood up, looking disdainfully at her former high-school sweetheart, and running back upstairs.

Sharpay closed her agape mouth and looked furiously at Troy.  
"The hell was that?" she demanded, getting up.

"I'm tired of taking her in every time she and Ryan have a little tiff, alright?" Troy snapped.

"I don't care! She's my sister-in-law; my _best friend_! I owe it to her to be supportive through tough times!" Sharpay exclaimed.

"That's just it! You used to be the biggest bitch in school; _now _you choose to be charitable?" Troy hissed, "I'm tired of you putting Gabriella and Chad before me or our family!"  
"You know I love you and the kids! And what does _Chad _have to do with this?"

"You're always running off to help him!" Troy yelled, "I understand that he's going through a tough time. I understand Gabby's going through a tough time, but I'm sure they have other friends to rely on!"  
"You and me! God, if you were more sensitive, and supportive, we'd both be on the same page! Troy, _his _wife is missing! _Her _husband has just been disbarred! Have some sympathy!"  
"Maybe you should too!" Troy snapped, "You should know that I want to spend more time with my girl!"  
"That's so selfish!" Sharpay hissed, grabbing her purse off the table, "You know what, I need to go get some air. Look after Shaun,"  
With that, Sharpay stormed out of the house, leaving Troy glowering in her wake.

* * *

Gabriella flung herself on her bed and shrieked into her pillow.

That horrible excuse for a human being had said all those things just to hurt her!  
How could Troy do that?  
Gabriella sighed as she realised it hurt more because Troy had a point. She should trust Ryan more.

She sniffled into her pillow and sat up, grabbing her cell phone from the bedside table, ringing an oh-so familiar number.

_"Hello?"  
_"Erm…hi, Ryan. It's me, Gabriella."  
_"Gabby?"  
_"Yeah. Listen, I was wondering if you could meet me at the obstetricians tomorrow at two?"

* * *

_Tra-la! _

_Told you Troy would be OOC. :D_

_REVIEW PLEASE!_

_(2 more to 100!)_


	10. She Is Mine

OMG I HAVE SUCH A TERRIBLE URGE TO WRITE THIS

_OMG I __HAVE SUCH A TERRIBLE URGE TO WRITE THIS! MUST…CONQUER…URRRRRGE! :D_

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!! Grr…

_BTW, I don't know if you CAN have Villas overlooking the Seine, but…yeah, I guessed :D_

_And William is a freak in this. I'm making him horrible. I call him a "Male Clarissa". _

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_She Is Mine_

_France had always been a place where William Curtis had wanted to visit. That's why his parents had thought he would be excited when they got the __opportunity to move there._

"_We're moving to Paris, Willy!" his mother had announced excitedly, "Paris, France, Europe!"_

_To fourteen-year old William, she said, "Paris, France, not-America, far away from your true love Taylor McKessie!"_

_A few weeks later, it was his fifteenth birthday and he and Taylor sat in her garden, and he was complaining and moving away, when Taylor made a shocking suggestion._

"_**When we meet again, whether it's in 10 or 20 years, we promise to get married!"**_

_William had been taken aback, but could barely hide his joy. William had always been a loner; the spotty kid with glasses and unruly red hair. When he was 10, the Mc__Kessie family moved onto his road, and he became friends with a then 9-year-old Taylor. He had always thought she was pretty, but had fallen in love with her when she turned 13, and she matured. Her body and mind was changing, and she was becoming a young woman…which seemed appealing to William. __**(A/N: Perv! lol)**_

_So, he had automatically agreed. _

"…_**I will someday marry you, Taylor Mckessie!"**__  
Then, she had pricked both of their fingers and they made a 'blood pact'. _

_Only five month later, 15-year-old William stood on the balcony of their large French Villa, which overlooked the river Seine. He looked up and there, in the distance, was the Eiffel Tower, standing proud and jutting up to the clear blue sky. His lips formed into a curve; he could already picture himself presenting Taylor with his grandmother's engagement ring; she had died a year ago and left the ring to William for that __**'special lass'**_

_Then, William's imagination went into overdrive. He could picture the romantic proposal, her whispering "Yes," through rivers of tears flowing down her cheeks. He could image them getting married in a castle in Italy – much liked the famed "TomKat". _

_He could even picture Taylor, much older of course, in his mother's silk wedding dress. (William's family were very big on family heirlooms). Then, perhaps a couple of months after the wedding, they would move to a nice house, perhaps get a dog…and then, one day, they would have their own child…_

* * *

Even asleep, the memory of that small toddler in Taylor's shopping cart causing William's face to sour.

He tossed and turned until his memories went back to his time in France…

* * *

_Young William glanced at his index finger, where there was still a small cut from where Taylor pierced him with a knife. He kissed the index finger and whispered, in his nasally voice, __**"She is mine."**_

_Before long, William became very jealous. He still wrote to her, and called her everyday. His letters were long and his conversations were full of potential to be long as well. She made an effort at first – but then, she changed. Her letters became more like postcards, and she always wrote of her 'new friends'. He still called her a lot, and at the time when she would've just arrived at home, but her mother always answered, claiming she had gone out with her 'new friends' or she was at school in some club._

_He kept this up, and only on rare occasions did __**she **__answer the phone, or __**she **__wrote a letter back. Every time she did pick up, he always asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"_

_Taylor used to laugh at this question and reply, "No," but as she got older, she got warier of this question and always demanded, "What's it to __**you**__?" or "Why do you care so much?!"_

_She had obviously forgotten._

_The__ last occasion he called was when he was seventeen – she would've been sixteen. Her dad answered, and he said, "Taylor is hanging out a school, with her friends, Gabriella, Troy, Ryan, Sharpay and Chad. Surely she told you about them!"_

_William was infuriated. He angrily demanded who Troy, Chad and Ryan were. He expected her to have __**girl**__friends, but he wasn't going to tolerate a __**boy **__near his Taylor!  
Mr. Mckessie laughed and said, "Troy is her best friend's boyfriend, Ryan is just a friend and Chad is her boyfriend! Why wouldn't she tell you?"  
William had paled and he hissed, "Boyfriend?"  
Mr. Mckessie didn't answer, before a door slammed and he said to William, "Oh, Taylor's home! Tay, your old buddy Will is on the phone!" _

_Taylor had said something to her dad that William couldn't hear, and then he heard someone run upstairs and Mc. Mckessie spoke again, this time sounding serious, "She has homework to do, William. She's preparing for a scholastic decathlon. She feels she got to win – they did last time," _

_William shook his head in frustration, "I must talk to her! Get her down!"  
"I'm sorry, William. She wants to have a good school record for college soon…"  
"She doesn't need college!" William exploded, "Not while she's with __**me**__!"  
Mr. Mckessie suddenly said, very coldly, "She does have to prepare for college, and a future – especially since she isn't __**with **__you. And, I think we'd all appreciate it if you didn't call again." _

_**CLICK.**_

_The line went dead. William gripped the wireless phone, his face contorting in rage. He marched out to the balcony and shrieked, "SHE IS __**MINE**__!!" before throwing the phone into the Seine. The __**stupid **__river he thought Taylor would adore._

_He became much darker after that night. He still went to school and got good grades, but he got a girlfriend._

_Zahra Benson._

_She had long curly black hair, and big hazel eyes. She had African descents, and her skin was a rich chocolate-y colour._

_She, as William's mother kept pointing out, was much like Taylor._

_That was why William loved her. Every time they made out, he had to bit his lip from saying Taylor's name, but he kept whispering "You are mine." _

_Zahra always laughed at this._

_One day, the day after Zahra's 16__th__ birthday, William decided they should, as he put it, "Lose their virginity to one another,". _

_Zahra smiled and shook her head, claiming she was Catholic and planned on waiting until marriage. William didn't listen; he was out of his mind on marijuana that he had found in the gym at school._

"_Don't be silly, Taylor," he giggled, putting an arm around her, "You're not Catholic."_

_Zahra had pulled away and hissed that she wasn't Taylor, and that she thought they should 'see other people'. This angered William._

_He was still certain this was Taylor, and he wasn't losing his Taylor. _

_She was __**his**._

_Three months later, Zahra killed herself, upon discovering she was pregnant. When she had an autopsy, the doctors revealed there were signs of sexual abuse._

_When all fingers pointed to William, he cried and sobbed he couldn't believe this happened to his 'one true love'. William's father had insisted to the French police that William was a nice kid and wouldn't do such a thing, so people began looking for whoever raped Zahra, and inadvertently caused her to commit suicide._

_William just watched all this play out in the news, and he couldn't help but smile smugly. He didn't regret raping her. He didn't regret getting her pregnant, and he didn't regret her death. She was unworthy to carry his child, anyway. She was unworthy to be his 'first time'. _

_Only Taylor Mckessie was worthy of that._

* * *

William yawned as he awoke, listening to the commotion from inside the little dungeon his was keeping Taylor in. He heard two sets of fists hammering on the door. He looked at his clock.

_4:32 PM._

William smiled. He had taken to sleeping in the day and going to Taylor at night, but those little brats had woken him up. Zoë had promised him she wouldn't tell a soul about Taylor, but she had told that other child. 'Dylan' he heard Taylor call him.

He sighed and opened the door a tiny bit, to reveal a furious looking Zoë. If what he had heard was true, Zoë inherited that temper from her mother.

"LEMME OUT!!" she shrieked, lunging at him. He reached forward and grabbed her tiny arm, twisting it and causing the poor lamb to scream in pain.  
"Let her go!" Taylor cried, hugging Dylan to her. William released her arm and she crumpled to the floor, cradling her wrist to her chest.

"You _mean man_!" Zoë snapped, kicking viciously from her sitting position. William stepped back, but not before Zoë landed a swift kick on his ankle.

"You little brat!" William seethed, and he was about to lunge at her when Taylor whispered, "_Don't_, William! Please!"  
William looked at her, sceptical.

"I'll do anything, just…_please _let them go!"

William nodded and grabbed Zoë roughly, and taking Dylan from Taylor. He dragged them out of the dungeon and put them on his bed. He pulled his belt off and tied their hands to one of the bedposts.

"Hey!" Zoë exclaimed, "You said you'd let us go!"  
William cackled, "I lied."  
With that he went back into the dungeon and closed the door behind him. He looked at Taylor, who sat quivering on the bed and began stroking her cheek.

"I love you so much, Taylor," he whispered, before tensing his hand and kissing her, pushing her back on the bed, pulling off her shirt.

As William made love to Taylor, he kept repeating the same three words in her ear.

**_"You are mine."_**

* * *

…_OMG Isn't William just the CREEPIST OC EVER??_

_Yuk._

_I hope that chapter was okay. Kinda mature, but hopefully still T. :D_

_Review!_

_(Oh, and I did get a new penname. I am now A c t i n g-Is-A-P a s s i o n. I love to act :D)_

_**REVIEW!!**_


	11. Shouldn’t Have Happened

_Aww, over 100 reviews? I'm flattered! Next stop: __**200!!**_

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with HSM. I am planning to kidnap Zac Efron though –evil laugh–

_Uh-oh! CHADPAY CHAPTER! I have been promising it :D _

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_Shouldn't Have Happened_

"Mommy!"  
Chad sighed and kissed the top of Angel's head. She sat on his lap and was jabbering animatedly at the picture of Taylor in his hand. It was a picture from Gabriella's wedding; Taylor was dancing with Sharpay and Gabriella. I say '_dancing_'…it was more like the three swaying every-so-often to the music whilst gossiping about their respective boyfriends/husbands. Sharpay had one hand on her swollen stomach and one supporting her back, Gabriella was holding Dylan and Taylor was in the main of the picture, smiling happily at the camera lens.

Angel took the picture from Chad, smiling at Taylor's image, before placing a corner in her mouth and chewing contently. Chad grinned and stood up, lifting Angel with him.

"Sorry, babes. Time for bed,"  
Angel groaned and dropped the photo on the floor as she was carried upstairs.

* * *

After changing her and helping her brush her teeth, Chad laid Taylor in her 'big-girl' bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Daddy," Angel yawned, her little hands wrapped around his neck, "Can we get a doggie?"  
"Maybe,"  
"A kitty?"  
"Perhaps,"  
Angel scowled, before saying, "Can Mommy come back?"  
Chad bit his lip, "Erm…she'll be back soon, darling,"  
Angel's happy face fell slightly, "Did she leave cos-a me?"  
Chad's eyes widened, "No! No, baby, she loves you more than _anything_!"  
Angel yawned and smiled up at her dad, "I wuv yoo, Dada,"

Chad grinned, "I love you too, cupcake,"  
He kissed her head and turned on the Barbie nightlight beside her bed. Angel giggled happily at it, as Chad got up and switched off the main light.

"Sleep tight," he whispered into the partially-dark room.

"Na' nite," Angel called sleepily. Chad left her room, closing the door tightly and heading downstairs. He found the picture of Taylor and stared at it; her youthful, happy face grinning up at him.

"Where are you?" he asked quietly.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang shrilly, causing Chad to jump and drop the picture. He cursed silently and picked it back, putting it on the coffee table and going to answer the door.

The sight the other side of the door surprised him; Sharpay Evans stood there, tears glittering in her angry brown eyes and gripping the strap of her purse tightly.

"Shar?"  
"Hi, Chad," Sharpay said through gritted teeth; Chad could tell she was trying not to cry.  
"C'mon in," Chad sighed, "I have a feeling we need alcohol,"

* * *

"How could he be so _unfeeling_?" Sharpay cried. It was now a half-hour later and she and Chad had polished off a bottle of wine, and were now beginning on number two. Sharpay had explained the whole story to Chad and was now pacing angrily, sipping a rather large glass of wine.

"I mean…_sure_, I have been a little selfish lately, what with going bezerk over him and Chad…_you_, I mean, trying to feed a squirrel a bookmark! I mean, it's not _that big a deal_! But just because I want to help you and Gabriella doesn't mean I care about you guys more then my kids or Troy! Troy, Shaun and Zoë are my _life_! He doesn't get it!"

She sat down heavily beside Chad, wiping away a few tears of anguish that had leaked from her eyes and finishing her wine.

"How can I love someone so unfeeling?" she asked miserably. Chad stroked her long blonde curls and sighed.

"He just wants you, Sharpay," Chad murmured, "And you have been so good to Angel and I…I don't want you and Troy to fight because of us."  
"No!" Sharpay said forcefully, "Troy has _his _problems, and they are tiny compared to yours! I want to help you, Chad; Taylor's my friend,"  
Chad smiled and wrapped an arm around Sharpay, pulling her close, "Thanks, Pay-Pay. You have been so good to Angel and I; and you're so wonderful and beautiful and amazing and I just wish…"  
Sharpay was stiff under Chad's hand, and suddenly he went silent too.

Sharpay turned her head to look at Chad.

Chad looked down at Sharpay.

Softly, at first, their lips met. Then it grew more passionate and forceful…

Thirty seconds later, a drunk Chad was pushing an equally drunk Sharpay up against the door, kissing her eagerly as she unbuttoned his shirt.

Two minutes later, a now shirtless Chad was carrying Sharpay upstairs.

* * *

_OH MY! Naughty! _

_Review!_


	12. Take Life As It Comes

_Hi…erm yeah. :D You're reactions to last chapter amused me greatly._

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges 

_Take Life As It Comes_

That night was a surprising one. And not necessarily in a good way.

ONE: William kidnapped Zoe and Dylan, then went and slept with Taylor.

TWO: Troy and Sharpay have a fight. She then leaves and sleeps with Chad.

THREE: Gabriella makes a decision on her marriage. She then decides she has to help Ryan beat Clarissa out.

As they say, bad things come in threes. But, apparently, not for this group of friends.

* * *

12 AM.

Gabriella Montez-Evans walked defiantly down the street towards the law firm. She didn't care what time it was; Ryan often worked late as a lawyer, so the others must too.

Without a second thought, she pushed open the brass door of Cunningham, Krutzer and Trope.  
Ignoring the half-asleep secretary, she headed down a long corridor. Most of them were locked, except for one that was slightly ajar and read _"E. CUNNINGHAM"_.

She knocked lightly and called, "Mr. Cunningham? It's, er, me, Ryan Evans' wife, Gabriella! Can we talk?"  
Suddenly, the door was open and Edmund Cunningham, whom she recognized from the Christmas party, stood there grinning.

"Why, Gabriella! What a surprise, come on in,"  
Gabriella obliged, smiling. Edmund had greying brown hair and steely black eyes. He was a little on the _round _side, and had more of a sneer then a proper smile. Gabriella had learnt he had been divorced five years ago, and his daughter Alex was taken to live in Canada whilst his son Evan had died in a car accident shortly before the divorce.

Although Gabriella did not particularly like this man, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He just seemed so scary and familiar to her…

"What can I do you for?" Edmund asked, perching on his desk. Gabriella cleared her throat and stood in front of him, gripping the strap of her purse.

"It's Ryan…and this whole hoo-ha about him being disbarred,"  
Edmund shifted uncomfortably, "It's company policy, Gabriella. I'm sorry…"  
"But you are the guy who practically _started _this whole firm!" Gabriella exclaimed, "You started it and let Krutzer and Trope join up; you're the _main man_! You've got to do something!"  
Gabriella quickly composed herself and sighed, "He didn't assault Clarissa. He wouldn't. How can I get you to give him his job back?"  
Cunningham licked his lips nervously, his eyes looking Gabriella up and down. The immature bit in her longed to yell _'Eye-rape!' _but she kept herself quiet.

"Well…" Edmund began, "There is one way…"  
Gabriella's face lit up, until she was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and swung around. Cunningham pushed her down onto the desk and kissed her roughly, his tongue gagging her so she couldn't scream.

Her limbs thrashed wildly, but Cunningham was using his legs to pin her waist down and one hand held her arms still as the other roamed her body, undoing buttons.

"Stop! _Please_!" Gabriella shrieked, twisting her head this way and that.

"Shut up!" Cunningham hissed, "I could have you that day two years ago, but now I will!"  
Suddenly, Gabriella froze as she realized _why _he was so familiar…

* * *

_Gabby walked along the familiar Albuquerque street, humming merrily. Suddenly, a cold hand covered her mouth and grabbed her around the waist, and she dropped her coffee._

_The person pushed her into an alleyway, pinning her against the wall…she finally saw the man's face. He had yellow, rotten teeth and large black eyes, and lank brown hair tied in a messy ponytail._

_"What do we have here, then?" … "A little lady, all alone on the streets?"_

_"I can be some company," he grinned, before kissing her roughly._

_…she saw another person walking up behind. This person tapped the man on the back._

_"Excuse me," New-Guy said._

_New-Guy grinned, "I believe rape is against the law," Gabby gasped as New-Guy punched Lanky Hair around the jaw._

_"Thank y-you," Gabby stammered._

_"No problem." New-Guy said_

_"Gabriella? Gabriella Montez?"_

_"R-Ryan Evans."_

* * *

"It was you!" Gabriella whimpered.

"Smart girl," Cunningham hissed, kissing her harder.

"Stop!" Gabriella begged, as he ripped her shirt off of her, "_Please_, I'm preg--"

Cunningham didn't let her finish, before kissing her again.

* * *

Ryan Evans entered the firm building, his stomach butterfly-ing. After his talk with Gabriella, he decided he had to talk to one of his bosses; if they were gonna work things out, he had to sort out his work stuff.

As he headed down the corridor, he heard a pitiful sobbing from one of the offices. His heart rate sped up as he neared this door.

"Cunningham," he whispered, his heart dropping as another sob floated to him.

Then came the voice, _"Help me!"  
_Ryan's mouth went dry.

_Gabriella._

* * *

Gabriella fought against Cunningham as he went down south. She was shirtless, and he was too. He gave her a wicked sneer as he went for the button on her trousers.

Suddenly, the door burst open and her husband appeared, eyes wide.

"_Ryan_!" she cried. His face was contorted with rage as he grabbed Cunningham's shoulder and ripped him off of Gabriella.

"You dirty _bastard_!" he hissed, before punching him hard around the jaw. Cunningham staggered back, clutching his face.

"Don't _EVER _touch my wife again!" Ryan screamed, grabbing Cunningham's head and smashing him into a bookcase.

Gabriella watched as Ryan and Cunningham began to fight, quickly pulling her shirt back on with trembling fingers. She was breathing heavily, and she cringed when she felt a wetness in her pants. She quickly removed her hand from her thigh, where it had been resting, and her eyes went wide when she saw the vivid red blood on her hand, where it had seeped through her trousers.

But that could only mean…

_The baby_!

Ryan gave Cunningham once last punch that rendered him unconscious when he heard Gabriella's screech. He spun around and his eyes also went wide when he saw both her hands covered in blood.

"Gabriella --!"

"The baby!" she shrieked, sobbing, "Ryan…our baby…"  
Gabriella's voice suddenly began to quieten, and her eyes went hazy, as she fainted. Ryan ran to her and tried to wake her up, before deciding it was useless. He scooped her up in his arms, ignoring the blood that got onto his white shirt from her hands, and headed into the lobby.

"Polly," he said, getting the secretary's attention. She looked up, eyes wide at the sight.

"Call 911. We need the police and an ambulance, and whatever, do _not _let Cunningham out of here! He tried to rape my wife!"  
Polly nodded numbly, looking horrified.

"_Call them then_!" Ryan demanded, causing Polly to leap into action and pick up the phone. Ryan lay Gabriella down on the waiting chairs and held her stained hands.

"It'll be okay, Gabriella," he whispered quietly, "It's alright. An ambulance is coming,"

Gabriella was deathly pale, and still. Ryan daren't look down to see how red her trousers were.

"They're on their way, Ryan," Polly called.

* * *

Ryan paced the halls of the hospital, chewing his lip hard. It was now the wee hours of the morning, and no doctor had come to him about Gabriella. The police had called; Cunningham was in custody. Trope and Krutzer had called; he had his job back.

None of this mattered to Ryan. He could be losing his second child right now!

This was not how they're reunion was supposed to go. Ryan sighed and sat down, placing his head in his hands as he thought about their meeting at the OBGYN, which he had imagined almost the minute they had hung up…

* * *

_Gabriella was pacing nervously around the office when Ryan appeared. She turned and smiled gleefully at the sight of him.  
"Hi," he said, walking towards her._

_"I'm so glad you're here," Gabriella whispered, sitting down and gesturing for him to sit beside her._

_"I'm glad you invited me," Ryan laughed._

_Gabriella looked at him sincerely, "Thank you for coming, Ry,"  
Ryan took her hand, squeezing it tightly, "I wouldn't have missed this for the world. We're going to work this out, Gabriella. No matter how long it takes."_

_Gabriella grinned and squeezed his hand back, "I…I love you, Ryan,"  
Ryan was about to reply the same back when the nurse called their names._

_Once in the office, the doctor hooked Gabriella up to an ultrasound machine, and began pushing the wand-thing around Gabriella's stomach, before showing them a view of the baby, and letting them listen to the heartbeat._

_These wave-type sounds sounded new and foreign to Ryan, but Gabriella's face lit up at the sound which she had become familiar to._

_"That's amazing," Ryan breathed, before kissing Gabriella's head and murmuring, "I love you too,"  
Gabriella beamed up at him, "I'm glad," _

_He then kissed her lips, and the two returned to watching their unborn baby._

* * *

Now, Ryan could never meet that unborn baby. They could've lost it…

Ryan was still wallowing in self-pity when Doctor Greggs, the obstetrician appeared.

"Mr. Evans?" she said, "Gabriella is fine."  
"Oh, thank God!" Ryan breathed, getting to his feet.

"She is very shaken up, and wants to see you." Dr. Greggs told him, "Now, the baby…"

"Don't!" Ryan cried stepping away, "I know what must've happened, and believe me, it's hard enough hearing it in my own _head_, so I'd rather not hear a qualified doctor say it!"

"Mr. Evans…"

"_Don't_!"

"Gabriella didn't lose the baby."

* * *

_Mua HA HA HA! I bet I had some of you going there (wooo!) but I'm in a good mood. I WAS going to kill the baby but I decided I'm to nice :D _

_Or…I am on a sick day today, so perhaps illness is messing with my brain…_

_REVIEW!_


	13. Flames

_I know! I know!  
-.-" My SATs were May and it's now June. I haven't updated in ages, I'm a very naughty girl, etc. etc. :) Done?_

_Yeah, I'm sorry for the long wait :( Not ONLY have I become obsessed with "Doctor Who", I am also now obsessed with the movie "Sweeney Todd"._

_And yes, I AM too young to have seen that movie, but I'm naughty X3_

_Lol :D_

Disclaimer: I own nothing :(

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges 

_Flames_

Sharpay shifted slightly, moaning softly. One eye cracked open, and she immediately closed it again as sunlight hit her right in the eye. She snuggled closer to the man beside her, laying her head on his chest. His warm arms were wrapped tightly around her petite waist, and Sharpay could feel his warm breath in her ear. She giggled quietly and gently pushed him away, yawning. She sat up and turned to wake Troy up with a kiss, when she finally saw him.

Oh..._**Jesus**_!

The words came tumbling out of her mouth like a horrified reviewer.

"HOLY MOTHER SHOOTER SNIPPERS ON A MOTHER FRICKER WOWZAH DSHBIUFHBDFIUGFD-JES-KE-DEK-MOD-BAL-CRUG-MAH-LETZ WITH A SIDE OF HOLY CRAPPING MOLERS!"

Chad sat up with a start at this long exclamation and tumbled out of bed as Sharpay snatched as the duvet to cover her.

"_Chad_?!" she yelled, "Why am I in YOUR BED?"

Chad rubbed his head, looking just as confused as Sharpay felt, "I dunno!"  
"You don't _know_?" Sharpay exclaimed. Chad bit his lip before mumbling, "Well…two adults who got exceedingly drunk and then woke up in each other's arms…kinda spells itself out."  
Sharpay's eyes widened, "_Noo_! No, no, no, no, **NO NO NO**! I did not have _sex_ with you!"  
Chad shrugged, "Apparently you did."  
Sharpay held her head as all the memories - not completely _bad _memories - came flooding back.

"Troy," she mumbled, "We had a fight and…and I came to you looking for comfort--"  
Sharpay's head snapped up, "_You took advantage of me_!"  
Chad snorted, "I think not! We were stinking drunk!"

Sharpay shook her head stubbornly, "I have two kids! I can't afford to be so stupid!"

Chad shifted onto the bed, "Listen, Shar…maybe what happened wasn't completely bad…"  
"WHAT?!" Sharpay yelled, moving away from Chad. Chad persisted, moving a teeny-weeny bit closer.

"I mean, it wasn't _bad_, was it? Sharpay--"  
Chad was cut off by Sharpay slapping him harshly on the face. He clutched his red face, eyes wide.

"Don't talk like that, Danforth!!" she screeched, "What happened is a _disaster_! We are both in happy relationships!"  
"MY WIFE IS MISSING!!" Chad bellowed, angered by the slap, "I wouldn't say I was in a _'happy relationship'_!!"

Sharpay shook her head, getting up - still wrapped in the duvet, of course - and searching for her clothes, "Well, no matter what, I still have Troy, Shaun and Zoë to look after, and you still have Angel,"  
As if on cue, a child's wails were heard from the other side of the wall. Chad sighed, pulled on some underpants, and left the room.

He came back in a moment later, holding a quietly-sniffling Angel. Sharpay was now fully dressed, and looked rather uncomfortable as she pulled her shoes on.

"Shar…" Chad began, bouncing Angel slightly.

"I've got to go," Sharpay said through gritted teeth, squeezing past him and heading down the hall. Chad groaned and followed.

"Shar, _please_!" Chad exclaimed as he went down the stairs. Sharpay was already opening the front door.

"Just don't tell anyone, _please_." Sharpay whispered, looking back at him, "Noone can know!"

Chad put Angel down on the floor - she happily toddled off to the kitchen - and he stared pleadingly at Sharpay.

"We can't pretend nothing's happened!" he said.

"We can!" Sharpay insisted, "And I'm sorry, but we _must_!"

"I think I'm in _love _with you!" Chad cried. Sharpay's face fell.  
"Wha…what?"

Chad ran a hand through his messy curls, "You've been brilliant to me and Angel over these last couple of weeks, when it's been really tough. You've been _amazing_. You're so kind, smart and pretty…just like Taylor was,"  
"_'Was'_?" Sharpay repeated sadly, "You can't go replacing Taylor with me, Chad. She isn't _dead_."  
"She might be!" Chad whispered, stepping forward, "Maybe it's time I moved on…"  
Sharpay had tears falling down her cheeks now. Chad cupped one cheek with his hand, wiping away a tear.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, "You're a married man and I love _Troy_."

Chad's hand tensed around her face for a moment, before relaxing again, "I don't wanna feel like this, Shar,"  
Sharpay stepped back, suddenly angry, "So don't. We've got to avoid each other for a while, and hopefully you'll stop feeling like this…I'm not going to jeopardize my life with Troy just because _you _- you _selfish _man - want me on a lust-fuelled whim!"  
Chad's eyes widened, "I think I'm _in love _with you!"

"I know! Very nice!" Sharpay snarled, "Just _please _leave me alone!"  
She turned on her heel and stormed out, tears still falling onto her face.

* * *

Troy paced the length of the living room worriedly, holding baby Shaun against his shoulder, and shushing the whimpering baby every now and again.

Sharpay had been gone all night.

As much as he tried not to, Troy couldn't help but imagine the same nut who kidnapped Taylor attacking Sharpay. He shuddered at the thought; Sharpay might be a vicious little thing, but she was still tiny and could hardly fight off the six-foot brute Troy was imagining.

Troy's eyes widened; what if it was a _swarm _of six-foot brutes??

God, let her be okay!

Troy's prayers were answered when his girlfriend walked through the doorway, still in the clothes from last night. She looked up worriedly at Troy, her eyes glistening.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before both bursting into action. Troy put Shaun in his playpen, while Sharpay flung down her coat and bag, and they both ran round the couch and hugged tightly.

"Oh God, I was so worried!" Troy whispered, "Are you okay?"  
Sharpay nodded into his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Troy! I'm sorry I completely flipped out on you; I'm sorry…"  
Troy pulled back, putting his hands on her cheeks, "You needn't apologize. You're right; I've been a stupid, bumbling, moronic fool who should know that the love of his life wants to help his friends! I shouldn't be so jealous and selfish!"  
Sharpay sniffled slightly, smiling, "Thanks."

He nodded and kissed her, "I love you, Sharpay,"  
Sharpay felt her heart skip a beat, and her stomach twist with guilt, "I-I love you too, Troy,"

* * *

Ryan headed for the phone, tiredly rubbing his eyes, even though not even his lack of sleep could wipe the grin of his face.

Their baby was _still_ alive!!

Ryan grinned as he pulled the sonogram picture out of his pocket. Even the black-and-white blob looked gorgeous to him. He studied it closer - he was certain it was a girl; it looked a _tiny_ bit like Sharpay...

He finally reached the payphone, and he kissed the picture, before dialling a number.

"Hello?" Troy's voice came through suddenly.

"Troy! Are you and Shar both there?"

"Yeah. Shar just got home after our fight last night. Where're you?"

"The hospital. Gabby almost miscarried last night."

"_HOLY MOTHER SHOOTER SNIPPERS ON A MOTHER FRICKER_--"

"Only Shar can pull that off. Now, can you bring Dylan round?"

"Dylan and Zo-Zo are both at a friend's house, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Can you go pick them up for me? Gabby wants to see Dylan,"

"Sure. See ya, Ry,"

Ryan hung up and smiled, before heading back to Gabriella's room. She was lying on her bed, hands resting on her stomach, and a mega-watt grin on her face.

"Would it be stupid if I said I could feel it?" she asked. Ryan shrugged, "No. Don't think so,"  
Gabriella smiled, and patted the bed beside her. Ryan sat down, wrapping an arm tightly around her.

"Thanks for saving me…my _hero_!" Gabriella beamed, kissing his cheek. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"No problem," he said, kissing her nose. Gabriella giggled, and put one of his hands on her stomach too.

"We're gonna be parents," she whispered. Ryan nodded.

"I love you, Gabby,"

"Love you too, Ryan,"

* * *

Taylor sat on her rock-hard bed, leaning against the wall and with the sleeping Dylan on her lap. Zoë lay beside her, her head on Taylor's chest and her thumb in her mouth, also asleep. Taylor had one arm tightly around Zoë and one around Dylan.

Taylor was almost drifting off herself, when she heard the lock on the door screech, and the heavy door swung open, revealing William.  
She held the kids tightly to herself, and glared at him as he came closer and perched beside her on the bed.

"You guys alright?" he asked, smiling hugely. Taylor stared in shock at this…_freak_!  
"Well, I'm only locked away in some weirdo's house, so I guess I'm swell!!" she snapped sarcastically.

William sighed, and gently brought his hand up to tuck a strand of her black hair behind her ear, "Don't be that way, my love. I'm only doing this for us…you and me. We're supposed to be together…"  
"It was some _stupid _promise I made when I was, what, _thirteen_??" Taylor hissed, "Just because I said that doesn't mean I _meant _it!"  
"We made a blood pact!"  
Taylor scoffed, wriggling away, "I would never do that! It isn't _sanitary_,"

William scowled, "You did back then!"  
Taylor rolled her eyes and turned away, cradling the kids. To rub it in William's face, she lifted her left hand and kissed her wedding ring, whispering, "Love you, Chaddy,"

William's face contorted in jealousy and rage. He grabbed her hand and ripped the ring off.

"WHY CAN'T YOU FORGET ABOUT HIM??" he yelled, disturbing Dylan and Zoë, "Why can't you _move on _and have your life with me?!"  
"I love him!" Taylor barked back. William leapt to his feet, pacing.

"I love him more than words can say! He is my soul mate, and the father of my precious daughter!"

She then covered Dylan's ears with her hands - Zoë covered her own ears, following suit - and hissed, "And he is _so much _better in bed than you!"

William's already-ugly face contorted in rage, and fury, and he whispered venomously, "I'm sure he's not when he's _dead_."  
Taylor's face fell, "D-dead? What the…?"  
William spun on his heel and left the room, slamming and locking the door behind him. Taylor leapt up and began hammering on the door, shrieking.

"WILLIAM! LEAVE THEM ALONE!! _LEAVE MY FAMILY __**ALONE**_!!"

* * *

Troy hung up on Ryan and dialled the number of Hannah-Lou Pargitter, Zoë and Dylan's friend.

"Hello?" said Ginger Pargitter, HL's mother.

"Hi, Ginger. It's Troy Bolton. Are Zoë and Dylan up yet? I'm gonna come pick them up."  
"Zoë and Dyl--? I'm sorry, Troy. Zoë and Dylan aren't round here. HL has had chicken pox for the last week or so,"

Troy froze, "What?"

"HL has chicken pox, so Dylan and Zoë couldn't possibly be around here,"  
Troy nodded numbly, hanging up the phone, not bothering to say goodbye.

"Zoë and Dylan aren't round here…"

_"…couldn't possibly be here…"_

Troy felt his heart rate quicken and his hands start to shake.

"Oh no!" he cried, "Zoë!!"

His sudden exclamation caused Sharpay to run in, looking panicked, and holding Shaun.

"Troy? What's wrong??" she asked, worried.

Troy didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed the phone again and dialled 911.

_"Hello, emergency services, how can I help?"_

Troy swallowed back a cry of panic and said, "I need the police. My daughter and nephew have…have…"  
Troy let out a strangled sob. Sharpay ran to his side and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Troy?"

_"Please, sir, calm down, what's wrong?" _

Troy covered his mouth to stop himself crying out again, and said, "Gone missing! My daughter and her cousin have gone missing!!"

Sharpay let out a shriek, followed by a sob. This in turn woke Shaun up, and he began wailing as well.

Troy's head was suddenly clouded by the faint noise of Sharpay and Shaun screaming, and the emergency-services lady telling him a policeman and detective were on their way, before his legs came out and he fell to the floor.

* * *

Angel sat on the sofa, staring at the TV in amusement. Her daddy lay beside her, asleep and snoring…_loudly_. Every so often, she'd hear him mutter things like _"love you…"_ and _"Sharpay"_. This made her smile, because she'd think of her Aunty Sharpay, who was really nice and had pretty yellow hair.

Suddenly there was a crash, and poor Angel jumped out of her seat. She rushed to the window and clambered up to see what was happening.

Some man was outside. It was night-time now, and she couldn't see his face. Suddenly, he lit a big stick on fire, and his evil face was illuminated for a moment. His cold grey eyes met hers for a moment, and his face soured even more.

"Fire's bad!" Angel mouthed through the window. Her mommy had told her that fire was hot and hurt a lot, so she shouldn't touch it, "Fire _hot_!"

He gave her a wicked grin, before throwing the stick. It smashed through the window the other side of the door to her, and landed on the stairs. The rug immediately caught on fire, spreading up and down the stairs, devouring everything on its way towards Angel.

Angel rushed to her father's side and began shaking him, "Daddy!"

Chad opened his eyes and looked around groggily for a moment. Suddenly, he was awake.

"Shit!!" he yelled, scooping her up (ignoring her cries of _"That's a no-no word!"_), and ran towards the door, just as the fire alarm began bleeping furiously.

* * *

_William's a piece of work, eh?!_

_Anyways, again, apologies for the long wait! Sorry :(_

_Please review, as this chapter is very long :)_

_And here's what happens next time...the chapter is called "The Press and Lust"..._

**Next Time, On _The World Changes and Rearranges_:**

_Sharpay, Troy, Gabriella and Ryan come together to find their lost children, and the press take a keen interest in the group, all connected, who have had 3 people kidnapped in quick sucsession...Chad, his house in ruins, is forced to move in with Troy and Sharpay whilst his insurence company investigate arson, and he and Sharpay find it hard to keep their hands off one another..._

**REVIEW!!**


	14. Author's Note

**_HOWDY, MY LOYAL, AMAZING READERS!!_**

XD

**Anyways**, this is not a BAD _Author's note_.

_Though that's probably what you're used to with me lol :D_

But…

I officially know _exactly_what I am going to do with ALL my unfinished stories.

These are _The World Changes…_(HSM), _Our Love Story _(Hairspray), _Human Nature _(DW), _Johanna _(ST), _Humuwaki Island _(HSM), and_ Remembering _(DW).

I have all my plans written in a big blue swirly notebook. :)

**So, now I know **_**what's going on**_**, hopefully you can expect more FREQUENT UPDATES.**

**Yay. :)**

**Just one thing…**

_I'd like more reviews on my older story like TWCAR and OLS. I only one or two for the last chapter of OLS. _(

_**So…yeah :)**_

**OH.**

_And, I've changed my penname again. :P_

_I am now **B o r n - To - A c t.**_

_Cool, no?_

_I hopefully will update one of my stories soon.._

**B o r n - To - A c t **_(Beth)_

xxx


	15. The Press and Lust

_Like I promised, I am updating! Lol XD _

_I am SO SO SO SO SO SO sorry for neglecting this story! I have been suffering from a) Obsessions with "Doctor Who" and "Sweeney Todd", b) Writer's block and c) Holiday in Scotland, where I am now! XD_

_ANYWAYS, I hope you enjoy this chapter, peoples! _X3

_Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I don't own HSM. :(

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_The Press and Lust_

Chad lay on the bed, one arm wrapped tightly around Angel who was sleeping soundly beside him. He looked up at the ceiling of Troy and Sharpay's guest bedroom and sighed.

After his house had burned down, his insurance company had decided to investigate arson before rebuilding his home, and Troy had immediately offered to give Chad and Angel a roof over their heads, despite his girlfriend standing next to him, eyes wide and shaking her head so violently her hair spun around like a blonde halo.

"_C'mon, Shar," _Troy had said, laughing, _"Me and Chad are practically __brothers__. I wouldn't have him out in the cold!"_

Chad sighed again. They _were _practically brothers, yet he had betrayed him in a way no brother should; sleeping with his _wife_! Well, not really his _wife_, but they were as good as. They had two beautiful children, and loved each other so much…Chad didn't want to be responsible for ruining the perfect family, but he couldn't help the way he felt about the beautiful blonde.

Chad rolled over, kissing Angel's head. He hadn't ruined the perfect family…someone else had. His eyes watered as he pictured Zoë, the child who was practically his niece. Some bastard had stolen her and Dylan, after all that had happened to Taylor.

Chad closed his eyes. He remembered Troy's face when Chad met him at the police station; ultramarine eyes red and puffy, his face pale and dark circles under his eyes. Sharpay had been beside him, sobbing into a tissue. Ryan was with them, pacing furiously and cursing to Hell, trying not to cry. Gabriella had not been allowed out of hospital, but Chad could hear the distress in her voice when he had called her and she broke off every moment to sob.

His group of friends was slowly falling apart around his ears and there was nothing Chad could do except hope and pray that the children and Taylor would be returned soon.

* * *

Flashbulbs went off everywhere as Troy led Ryan out of the police station. It had been a week since the police had gone public with the disappearances of Zoë and Dylan, and the press had taken a keen interest in the case, creating a hoard of conspiracy theories involving the disappearances of both the kids and Taylor Danforth, all three of whom were connected.

Troy shuddered as he remembered the headline that morning. "_**DID AUNTY TAYLOR KIDNAP ZOE & DYLAN WITH HER LOVER?**_". The newspaper had created a story about Taylor having some lover who was unable to have children, so they stole the perfect little boy and girl, which was really a load of crap. It only hurt Chad, all these rumours about infidelity.

"Mr. Bolton!" one photographer yelled, "Is the rumour about Taylor mothering both children true??"  
"No!" Troy barked, looking back at Ryan. Gabriella was only discharged from hospital the day before, and didn't have the strength to come along, and Sharpay was staying with Shaun, suddenly anxious not to let him out of her sight, not that Troy could blame her.  
"Mr. Evans! Is it true that you and Mrs. Evans are in the stages of a divorce?!"

Ryan was obviously unfazed by the obnoxious press and shoved the photographer aside and following Troy to the car, climbing into the front seat.

* * *

Sharpay sat in the kitchen, staring absently at an old episode of _Sex & The City _that was playing, every so often rocking the sound-asleep baby in her arms. She had felt numb ever since her daughter has disappeared, and barely ate; she _wouldn't _if it wasn't for her friends' insistence. Her cell phone bleeped, and she sighed, picking it up and reading the message from Gabriella.

_How u doin? G xxx_

Sharpay rolled her eyes and sent back, _How do u think??_

Gabriella seemed to be having the _opposite _effect. She couldn't stop eating, which was good considering she was pregnant. A few more tears leaked down Sharpay's face as she remembered when she and Gabriella were first pregnant. Gabriella couldn't stop eating when she was upset then, whilst Sharpay had flat out refused, until a doctor had told her the baby could suffer without nutrients.

Sharpay gently kissed Shaun's head and placed him in his car seat, which was on the floor by the sofa. She then got up and headed to the kitchen. Her hand poised over the bread bin, before travelling over and grabbing a glass, filling it with water and taking a sip.

To just add more crap onto Sharpay's life, Chad had moved in after his house had burnt down. _Chad_, the very man who could tell the truth and send the rest of Sharpay's life crashing around her ears. All it took was him coming clean to Troy, and confessing their affair.

Sharpay suddenly felt woozy; her stomach was twisting tightly and she gagged, running upstairs to the bathroom and only just getting to the sink when she vomited.

After, she leant against the bathtub and groaned, running a hand through her hair. She hadn't _eaten _and she could still throw up.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a breath mint, popping it in her mouth to rid herself of the nasty taste.

"Sharpay?"  
Her eyes snapped up to see Chad standing in the doorway, hair wilder than ever and looking concerned.

"You okay?" he asked, coming in and sitting beside her. She scowled and shuffled away from him.

"No," she said bluntly, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

His walnut-brown eyes, showing concern, looked into hers, "Are you making yourself sick, Shar?"  
She gritted her teeth in rage, "My boyfriend is in tatters, my daughter is missing, and I have a baby son. Am I _really _going to add more shit in with an _eating disorder_??"

Chad shook his head, "I guess not…"

Sharpay turned away, looking at the bathroom floor, "This is karma, y'know,"

"Karma?"

"Yes. We sleep together – _cheat _on our partners! – and suddenly your house is burnt down and I've lost Zoë,"  
Sharpay's voice broke on the last word and even more tears spilled down her cheeks, but she shook off Chad's helping hands.

"This isn't our fault," he said soothingly, one hand on her shoulder, "This is just coincidence. Who believes in that karma stuff anyway?"

"Oh, maybe _I _do!" Sharpay snapped, her voice full of venom.

"Look, you don't have to get mad at _me_!" Chad cried, getting mad, "You were there as much as I was,"

Sharpay turned to look at him, her eyes full of loathing, and she was about to snap something back when Chad suddenly grabbed her, his mouth meshing with hers as he pushed her against the bath tub. She responded heatedly, sharp nails running through his curls and digging into his scalp. His hands latched onto her hips, tracing little circles on the skin between where shirt and trousers met.

"Hello?"

The two pulled apart when they heard Troy's voice echoing up from the hall. Sharpay instantly reacted, pushing Chad off of her and standing up, looking in the mirror before rubbing her smeared lip-gloss off. She shot Chad one last withering look before running downstairs, to where she found Troy pulling his jacket and tie off. She wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind.

"How'd it go?" she asked, kissing his cheek. He turned around and wrapped his arms around her, sighing.

"Apparently, Taylor mothered Zoë and Dylan and Ryan and Gabriella are getting divorced," he said, a tiny trace of humour in his voice. Sharpay sighed and buried her head in his chest.  
Troy looked up to see Chad standing on the stairs. He smiled slightly at Troy, who nodded back. Then Troy saw something odd; Chad had traces of lip-gloss on his mouth, the same shade lip-gloss as Sharpay had been wearing this morning.

His arms tightened around the blonde, cogs in his mind turning.

* * *

William whistled as he put three apples and slices of bread on a tray, along with some glasses and a jug of water, oblivious to the plan concocting between his hostages.

Carrying the tray, he went to the big metal door and unlocked it. As he pulled it open, a great force on the other side slammed into his, sending William and his tray flying. Taylor, rubbing her shoulder from where she'd hit the door, came running out, holding Zoë's hand and pulling her out. Dylan followed out.

Taylor shot one look at William, who was slowly getting up, and opened the front door, running out into the chilly December air. William, face contorted in rage, chased them out.

Taylor ran for her life, dragging the littler and slower Zoë behind her. Dylan raced ahead, a curly brown blur.

"_Taylor_!"  
Taylor skidded to a halt when her hand left Zoë's, and she turned to see the child had tripped over a tree root and was now sprawled on the floor, tears streaming from her brown eyes. Taylor jogged back and picked her up before running after Dylan.

Obviously, carrying a deadweight slowed Taylor down, but she was sure she could see the hedge leading to the park – and safety – in the distance.

They were _finally _going to be free!!

Suddenly, Taylor felt a heavy weight hit her and she and Zoë were sent to the ground, William on top of her.

"Nice try," he hissed, putting a cloth soaked in chlorophyll against her mouth.

From behind a tree, Dylan watched as this man threw a struggling Zoë over his shoulder and picked an unconscious Taylor up, before heading back in the direction of that little hut. Dylan turned and dived through the bush, rolling onto the grass in the park.

Now, he had to go home.

* * *

_RUN FOR THE HILLS DYLAN! RUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!_

_lol XD_

_Sorry for the lack of Gabriella or Ryan in this. :S_

_Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! PLEASE REVIEW!!_


	16. True Love and Family

_Hmm…to be honest, I'm so close to the end of this I can smell it. _

_Maybe THAT'S why I'm so slow at updating! I'm not ready to say goodbye, ESPECIALLY not to Zoë and Dylan! They kinda rock. :D _

_Anyway, I AM updating, so coolness. XD_

Disclaimer: I don't own the highly successful film that is "High School Musical". Boo hoo.

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges 

_True Love and Family_

Gabriella lay on the sofa, her hands held tightly over her stomach. She had a tiny bump now, but reaching the milestone that was 5-months-pregnant seemed so grey without Dylan here.

She sniffled, more tears falling down her cheeks. She missed her baby boy; she really _did_. And all the press making up lies about her and her family and Taylor…

She let out a choked sob, rolling onto her side on her bed and shaking her head. She felt two hands wrap around her slowly, pulling her close.

"Hey," Ryan breathed in her ear, kissing her cheek, "It's alright. I've got you,"

She turned in his arms, grabbing his lapels tightly and burying her head in his chest, finally letting loose her tears. Her whole body shook with sobs.

"This isn't happening," she said in a pleading voice, "Please, it _can't _be, Ryan!"

He hugged her back firmly, a few of his own tears falling onto her dark curls.

"I don't want to believe it either," he said in a thick voice, "But we've got to face it. We'll find him, I _promise _you, Gabriella. We won't stop until we do."

"What if he's d--" Gabriella didn't finish her sentence, becoming too overcome with sobs to say the word.

"He isn't _dead_," Ryan insisted, his voice hitching on the last word, "I know he isn't; I can feel it."

The two were interrupted by a knocking on the front door, and Ryan froze when he heard a tiny voice come through.

"_Daddy_?"

* * *

Troy watched as Chad read a book to Angel, making animal noises and talking in a high cheery voice.

_Why _had he been wearing the same lip-gloss as Sharpay?

His first thought had been that - as he'd been alone for at least 2 months - maybe he was turning to bat for the other team.

But then Troy realised that Chad was probably the most heterosexual guy he knew, and he wouldn't just _decide _to wear lip-gloss!

Which led him onto the unthinkable option.

Had Chad and Sharpay been…_kissing_?

He had spent the last two days going over this in his mind, arguing with himself.

_Sharpay would NEVER cheat on me! We're happy!_

_But she might…she has been acting weird lately…_

_BUT SHE LOVES ME!!_

_But what if Chad seduced her? What if she loves CHAD!_

_Shut up!_

_No, YOU shut up!_

_No YOU be quiet!_

_Go to hell!_

_DIE IN A HOLE!_

_MAKE ME!_

_Gladly._

Yes, he always wound up arguing with himself, and of course he could never win or lose.

It was driving him mad.

Troy sighed, making a decision.

Just to settle his nerves, he would have to ask her.

* * *

Sharpay sat in the living room, opening a bottle of wine.

She was trying desperately to ease her own guilt by being overly-nice to Troy. Hence, lovely dinner cooking and wine.

"Troy!" she called, trying to force herself to sound happy, "Come down here; dinner!"

Troy appeared a moment later, to be greeted with the sight of Sharpay holding out a glass of wine.

"C'mon. What with the time we've had of it lately, I reckon we could use a treat," she smiled. Troy didn't smile back; he took the glass and sat down, swallowing it in one.

"Wow, someone's thirsty," Sharpay joked, sitting down with him and kissing his cheek. Troy reeled away slightly, putting his glass down.

"I need to talk to you," he said seriously.

Sharpay's smile fell, "What about?"

Troy took a deep breath and met her gaze.

"Did you cheat on me?" he said, steadily. Sharpay's eyes widened.

_How did he find out?_

_Did Chad tell him? No, because if Chad said, why would he be __asking__ me…_

_Did he see us? Oh Lord, what am I going to __do__?_

"What a silly question!" Sharpay laughed, nervously, "W-why do you ask?"

Troy kept his steady voice, although inside his heart had sped up, "Chad was wearing the same lip-gloss as you the other day. Why are you sharing lip-gloss?"

Troy looked at her, pleading silently for her to deny it; to say nothing had happened, to say he was just seeing things.

Instead, tears filled her eyes and spilled over, as she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Troy. I really am!"

Troy's face fell, his mouth ajar and blue eyes wide as Sharpay began to sob into her hands. His stomach was twisting into a tight ball and he was sure his heart had stopped beating. He could feel the blood drain from his face and he felt tears in his eyes; bile was rising up his throat and burning it, and he could feel himself start to tremble.

_She had slept with him_.

"C-Chad…" he whispered, looking at her. Sharpay let out another anguished sob and nodded.

"I'm s-so s-sorry!" she stammered through floods of tears. She anxiously reached out to take his hand, but he pulled away, shaking his head.

"How?" he breathed. When she didn't answer immediately, he leapt to his feet, bellowing, "_HOW? _WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME??"

Sharpay let out another sob, "I was drunk! And upset; it meant nothing, I swear to God! I _love _you, Troy!"

Troy was breathing raggedly. He turned away from her and ran his hand through his hair, causing it to stand on end. Tears fell from his ultra-marine eyes.

"Y'know," he breathed in a dangerously calm voice, "I have half a mind to take Shaun and leave you."

Sharpay let out a horrified wail, "**No**, Troy! Don't leave me! Don't take my son away!!"

Troy looked down at his girlfriend; the love of his life, who was now reduced to tears and was clutching his hand tightly, looking up at him with big brown eyes.

"I _love_ you." Sharpay whispered in earnest.

"And Taylor," Troy spat, "How could _he _do that to _her_?"

Sharpay shook her head, not knowing, and squeezed his hand.

"Please, Troy," she whispered brokenly, "I hate myself. I hate Chad. I hate what I've done and I hate hurting you. _Please_; forgive me."

Troy looked down at her anxious, honest eyes. And he felt love pound through him, and knew what he was going to do before he'd properly thought it through.

He sat back down, pulling her into a hug. She buried her head in his shoulder, gripping him tightly.

"I…I won't be able to trust you for a long time." Troy breathed in her ear.

"…I know," Sharpay whimpered.

"But I still love you," Troy said, defiantly, "I still love you, do you hear me?"

Sharpay nodded, shaking with sobs.

* * *

Chad walked back towards the bathroom, whistling quietly as not to wake Angel. He felt for the hall light switch, but it was turned on by none other than Troy, who leant against the wall, glowering silently at the afro-ed man.

"Oh! Hey, Troy," he smiled nervously.

Suddenly, Troy's fist came flying out of nowhere, connecting with his face. Chad fell backwards, landing with a thump on the floor, blood dribbling out of his nose.

"What the _hell_?" Chad cried angrily, "What the hell's wrong with you, you bastard?!"

"_You're _the bastard!" Troy bellowed, adding a hefty kick to Chad's side, "You _slept _with Sharpay!"

Chad's eyes widened and he laboriously propped himself up on his elbows, "How did you--?"

"She confessed." Troy hissed, bending down and grabbing Chad by the scruff of his neck.

"I'm sorry." Chad stammered, covering his bleeding nose with his hand, "I really am, I am…"

"Why did you betray me like this?" Troy asked, a trace of hurt and vulnerability in his voice, "And Taylor? Poor. Lost. _TAYLOR_!"

Troy looked like he was about to hit Chad again when the doorbell rang. Troy rolled his eyes and let go of Chad, smiling when he fell back and hit his head on the wooden floor. He then turned and ran downstairs, followed by a pyjama-ed Sharpay.

"Who is it?" she asked, still weary around Troy. He scowled and flung the door open.

And his mouth fell open.

Ryan stood there, jeans and shirt rumpled and hair sticking up at all angles, with a huge grin on his face. Instantly, he grabbed Troy and hugged him.

"Whoa! Dude!" Troy cried, pushing Ryan off. Ryan then hugged Sharpay.

"What's going on?" Sharpay asked.

A moment later, Gabriella appeared, tears of joy running down her face. She was wearing a long coat, her brown curls messy, and holding a figure in her arms.

Sharpay gasped, covering her mouth.

Dylan peeked out from his mother's arms, smiling.

"Aunty Sharpy!" he cried, struggling out of his mother's arms into his aunt's waiting ones. Sharpay had burst into tears on sight of him, and was gripping her nephew tightly.

* * *

_**A Few Hours Earlier…**_

The two were interrupted by a knocking on the front door, and Ryan froze when he heard a tiny voice come through.

"_Daddy_?"

Ryan was up like a rocket, down the stairs and pulling open the front door. Outside stood Dylan, shivering in his shorts and t-shirt against the harsh December wind, and with big bug eyes.

"Daddy!" he whispered, launching himself at his dad's legs. Ryan stared down at him shocked, before reaching down and scooping him up, spinning him around.

"DYLAN!" he yelled, hugging him. Thumps on the stairs signalled Gabriella coming down, and she skidded into the hall and burst into tears on sight of her son, getting down and letting him run into her arms.

"My baby boy!" she sobbed, "You're back!"

"Mommy!" Dylan whispered, "I know where Zoë and Auntie Taylor are."

* * *

_Can I hear a "DUN DUN DUUUUN"? XD_

_Um...Troy may be a little exaggerated. A tad. :) BUT FOR GOOD(-ish) REASON!!  
And, I notice some bits may be ruuuuuuushed._

_Okay, I'll update…soon…-ish._

_Hopefully. :)_

_Hope you enjoyed! Lotsa reviews will make me write SUPER-FAST!!_

**REVIEW!!**


	17. The Truth At Last

_Here we go again. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…_

_Oh._

_I just have one iddy biddy issue, people._

_Reviews. I'm not getting that many reviews for this lately; I know I'm a crap updater but don't punish me by not reviewing. REVIEW TO TELL ME I'M A BITCH!!  
Anyway…_

_Please enjoy._

Disclaimer: Yes, I magically own "High School Musical". HA HA HA HA HA HA-- -gets hit over head by Mickey Mouse with cricket bat, who then takes "High School Musical" away. :(-

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_The Truth at Last_

Gabriella sat with Dylan in her lap, rocking him back and forth on the sofa. Dylan, who had long since fallen asleep, snored gently, apparently oblivious to all the hoo-ha going on around him.

Ryan had phoned the police station and told them Dylan had returned, and the police were anxious to talk to Dylan, despite the late hour, and Ryan had practically had to threaten them to stop them coming around, and Troy wound up taking over as Ryan had become too cross. Sharpay and Chad were also anxious to talk to Dylan to see if he knew anything about Zoë and Taylor's disappearances, but they understood Dylan needed some time to rest, and they knew Gabriella needed to be with her son right now.

Due to all the drama of Dylan's return, Troy, Chad and Sharpay all seemed to have forgotten the drama going on between them; unfortunately, Gabby _had _noticed.

"Chad," she breathed, looking at her friend who sat beside her, "What happened to your nose?"

Chad's hand went immediately to his nose, which he instantly regretted. He winced when he felt his swollen and most likely bruised appendage.

"Long story," he mumbled.

"Did someone _hit _you?" Gabriella gasped, still trying not to wake up Dylan. Chad was silent a moment, before nodding.

"Who?!"

Chad didn't answer, but he made the mistake of allowing his eyes to travel up and glare in Troy's direction. Gabriella's mouth fell open.

"_Troy_? Why would Troy hit you, Chad?"

Chad sighed, "It was all my fault. It was, it was, it really was. I did something…bad. Terrible; _shitty_…"

Gabriella reflexively covered Dylan's ears.

"…and he had every right to hit me. If I were him, I'd have _killed _me!"

Gabriella shook her head, "What did you _do_?"

Chad fell silent.

He couldn't tell her. It was between him, Sharpay and Troy; and the only person who he said _could _tell her was Troy, and he would have every right to.

"I can't say." Chad whispered, shaking his head, "If Troy wants you to know, then you'll know,"

Gabriella nodded in understanding, and was about to say something when Dylan mumbled something in his sleep.

"_Auntie Taylor_…_who is that??_"

Gabriella looked down, eyes wide, as did Chad.

Suddenly, Dylan let out a sob.

"_I want out! I want my mommy! Let me see my mommy! MOMMY!!_"

"Mommy's here, Dylan!" Gabriella cried, giving Dylan a tiny shake to wake him up, "I'm here, baby,"

Dylan's eyes snapped open and he automatically buried his head in Gabriella's shoulder, muttering _'Mommy' _over and over. They had now attracted the attention of the whole group, and Sharpay was sitting next to Gabby, stroking Dylan's curls.

"What's up, baby?" she cooed, as Troy and Ryan came over.

"I dreamt of…of _him_," Dylan said in a muffled voice, as he was talking into Gabby's shoulder.

"Who's him?" Ryan asked, feeling a feeling of illness wash over him.

Dylan sniffled, looking up, "The man who took me; and Zoë. The man who loves Auntie Taylor,"

Chad noticeably prickled at this, "_What_?"

Dylan said in a tiny whisper, "He took Taylor; he thinks _she _should be his girlfriend. He loves her, and he says Taylor should love 'im too. But Zoë found out one day; he was nice to her, and let her go, and Zoë brought me back to meet him. Then he kept us in the room, with Auntie Taylor. And he wouldn't let us go; we said _please_!" Dylan finished with a cry, mistaking his mother's horror-stricken face for one demanding pleasantries.

"No, sweetie, it's alright," Gabriella insisted, kissing his head, "Tell me, honey; do you know this man's name?"

Dylan nodded, "Zo called him Uncle Willy. Taylor called him William. He had fire coloured hair, Mommy, and big green eyes, that looked black when he was acting all evil."

Troy perched down in front of Dylan, "Tell me, son…do you know _where _you were?"

Dylan nodded, "Yes. I remember where Zoë took me when she took me to meet 'im."

Troy scowled, "Zoë _took _you there?"

Dylan nodded again, "She said he was nice; he lives in the woods?"

Sharpay's face darkened, "The woods?"

Dylan was side-tracked; staring out the window looking jubilant.

"Mommy!" he exclaimed, "_Snow_!"

All the adults looked outside, and sure enough, snow was falling in gentle flakes. It _was _December, after all. Troy got up and walked to the window, leaning heavily on the window sill. Sharpay followed.

"Troy?" she whispered, laying a hand on his forearm, "What are you thinking?"

Troy gritted his teeth, "I'm thinking some sick bastard has Taylor and our Zoë locked up somewhere in the woods; heaven knows what he's doing to her,"

Sharpay paled, clutching Shaun tighter against her breast, "_Don't _say that."

Troy looked up at her firm voice and saw her face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking back outside. His face hardened.

"We're not gonna let this sick creep get away with this," he hissed, "I'm going, into the woods, _right now_, and finding him."  
He turned and looked at his girlfriend; Sharpay winced at the love and betrayal in his eyes. He always looked like that when she saw him watching her; like a kicked puppy.

"I'll be back," he promised, kissing her gently, before running to pull on some layers.

"Where're you going?" Ryan asked.

"To get my daughter back!" Troy practically yelled.

Ryan nodded firmly, "I'm coming to, then,"

"No."

"_Yes_! This guy sounds twisted; we'll need all the help we can get!"

Ryan looked at Chad, "C'mon, Chad."

Chad looked up, eyes wide, "No. I think I should stay and—"

"_C'mon_, you twat! This is your _wife_!" Ryan snapped, throwing a coat at him.

"I'm coming too," Sharpay breathed.

"I'm not staying here alone!" Gabriella cried.

In the end, all of them ended up trekking across Albuquerque towards the woods; Troy, holding a flashlight and more extra layers, Ryan, holding Dylan, Chad, clutching Angel tightly, Gabriella holding as many cell phones as she could in case of emergencies, and Sharpay, holding the bundled-up baby Shaun.

* * *

_Lol XD_

_Probably quite a boring chapter, but important. FISH._

_REVIEW._


	18. The Cabin in the Woods Part 1

_We're on to the ending now – DUN DUN__ DUUUUUN. It'll probably be quite long; several chapters at the most. _

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_The Cabin in the Woods Part 1_

Dylan led the way through the woods. The snow was heavier in the woods, and he had trouble stepping through it, lifting his knees very high to get his feet out of the white blanket covering the ground.

It was a rarity to get so much snow in Albuquerque, and this was the first time Dylan had seen it; despite the situation, he kept randomly falling over to make snow angels, and throwing snowballs at the people who were eagerly following him.

It was quiet early morning now, and the sun was just rising over the hills, giving the white snow an orange glow. Dylan stopped, mesmerised and wishing Zoë was here to play with him. With the thought of his missing cousin in mind, he trooped forward, practically running up the hill and leaving his family huffing and puffing in his wake.

Troy looked back at their group, and he realised how moronic they'd all been. Bringing the _baby_?? And Gabriella, in her condition? They hadn't even phoned the police in their rush to get out!!

He paused and turned, looking at his feet as he addressed Gabriella.

"Hey, Gabs...um, maybe you'd best go back..."

Her eyes widened, "Why would I go _back_? I wanna help!"

Ryan looked at Troy, instantly knowing what he was thinking, "Yeah, Gabby...maybe you should. You should take Shaun and go back and phone the police. You _are _pregnant right now."

Gabriella shook her head, "_No_. I want to help! And besides, we can phone them once we _find _the place and we can tell them a sure address!"

Ryan and Troy exchanged looks, before sighing simultaniously.

"Fine, fine fine." Troy muttered.

"C'mon, let's go!" yelled an anxious Sharpay, bustling past with Shaun cooing in her arms.

* * *

Taylor and Zoë sat up on their bed in the cell, right up against the wall. They'd been back in here for at least six hours and there was no sign of William. Taylor knew he was angry; in fact, he was probably _furious_.

As if on cue, he entered the cell, tossing Zoë a bottle of water. He turned quickly and locked the doors, double and triple-checking it. He glared at Taylor as Zoë took a sip of water.

"I know it was your plan," he spat, "Why can't you just be _happy_ with me? Huh?"

"I don't love you." Taylor said in a surprisingly calm voice, "I don't want you. I want my family,"

William smirked, shaking his head, "_I'm _your family now, Taylor. And, since your little 'plan' allowed the curly-haired kid to get away, I've had to speed up our exit,"

Taylor's blood ran cold, "Exit?"

William nodded, "Yes. You and I are flying away from here; we're going to live in Paris. Won't that be lovely?"

Taylor's hand tightened around Zoë's, "What about her? What about Zoë?"

William chuckled, "I'm sure France has orphanages, dearest."

"No!" Taylor cried, "You can't do this! You're _sick_! You're insane, you're deranged! Let us go; it's not right!"

In two strides, William was right in front of her, leaning into her face and causing her to lean back further into the hard wall.

"You will not argue with me, _or _insult me. You're coming to France with me, and you will kick up no such fuss; not even when I drop your dear little girl off in some run-down orphanage, and next week, you and I will be standing in a chapel saying our vows and you _will not _make a noise, except for two words. I. Do."

He kissed her on the lips right after _'I'_ and right after _'Do'_, chuckling.

"I hafta go toilet." Zoë suddenly broke into the silence, tugging on William's shirt, "_Now_."

William sighed, rolling his eyes. He grabbed her hand and Taylor's, dragging them out of the cabin and towards the front.

"Go on then," he snapped, leading both to a snow-covered bush and pushing the toddler into it. She was looking around in awe.

"_Snow_," she whispered, scooping off some a leaf, "It's so pretty!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," William snapped, knocking more snow off the bush, "Just hurry up and do your business."

Zoë scowled and was about to answer, when she noticed some familiar figures standing on the hill that the cabin hid behind.

Her eyes widened, "_Daddy_."

* * *

Troy looked down the hill, seeing the cabin.

"Is this it, Dyl?" he asked, bending down to the four-year-old's level.

"Yes!" Dylan nodded, pointing. Troy followed the direction Dylan was pointing; by a bush, at the side of a house, stood a tall red-headed man, with green eyes. By his side, stood a familiar African-American woman, holding his hand somewhat reluctantly, and standing in the bush, was a little girl with Sharpay's big brown eyes and his brown hair. Her eyes were fixed on his, her mouth forming the word _'Daddy'_. Troy felt his own eyes water.

"_Zoë_!" he found himself yelling at the top of his lungs, already half-way down the hill.

* * *

_Shortest chapter I've ever written, me thinks._

_Um._

_Coolness?_

_Lolage._

_REVIEW._


	19. The Cabin in the Woods Part 2

The World Changes and Rearranges

_The Cabin in the Woods Part 2_

William looked up to see a tall man with angry blue eyes and Zoë's brown hair skidding down the hill, followed by a whole group of people; a blonde, brown-eyed woman clutching a baby, a Hispanic-looking woman with big brown eyes and curly brown hair, a blonde man holding Dylan, and an African-American man holding a familiar toddler.

_The toddler he saw Taylor with in the supermarket_.

"No," he hissed.

"Chad!!" Taylor yelled, her whole face brightening up at the sight of him. She made to go and hug him, but William grabbed her, slinging his arm right around her neck like he was going to throttle her. Zoë on the other hand ran from the bushes into the brown-haired man's arms.

Troy took Zoë tightly in his arms, feeling Sharpay wriggle in to cuddle Zoë as well after giving Gabriella Shaun.

"My baby girl," Sharpay cooed, kissing Zoë through her tears, "Oh my darling."

After Troy finally put her down, Zoë ran to embrace Dylan, hugging him tightly, joined by Angel a moment later.

Chad stood glaring at the red-haired man, Ryan beside him.

"Let my wife go." Chad stated. The red-haired man's wild eyes darted around.

"She's _mine_!" he cried shrilly, holding Taylor all the more tightly.

"Who are you?" Ryan asked, stepping forward slightly.

"He's William!" Taylor gasped out, as William was holding her throat tightly.

"I'm her fiancé!" William yelled, "She promised herself to me!"

"Yeah, when I was _fourteen_!" Taylor barked, wriggling stubbornly.

"We're in _love_!" William told Chad smugly, revelling in his face dropping.

"I don't love you," Taylor breathed, tears slipping down her cheeks. William gripped her all the more tightly.

"Why did you sleep with me, then?" he announced loudly, a wicked grin on his face. Chad looked in horror at Taylor.

"He made me!" Taylor defended weakly, "He was gonna hurt the kids! Believe me, Chad, I _hated _it! I feel like such a whore; I wish I could turn back time. I—"

"It's okay, sweetie," Chad breathed, stepping closer, "I forgive you,"

Taylor's teary eyes met his, "You do?"

William broke into the moment, chuckling, "Yes. Because I doubt _Chad _has been entirely faithful himself,"

Taylor looked up at her husband, eyes widening when she saw the paleness in his skin and sadness in his eyes.

"Chad…?" she said, reaching out, her fingertips just brushing his chest before William wrenched her backwards.

"It's true," he told her, looking pleadingly at her, "I did; I slept with someone else. _Your _friend. _My _friend's girlfriend. And I'm sorry; so, so sorry,"

"Who?" Taylor asked. Chad felt a hand land on his shoulder, and he turned to see Troy, nodding.

Chad sighed, "Sharpay."

Ryan and Gabriella both whirled around to look wide-eyed at Sharpay, who was staring red-faced at her shoes. William cackled harshly.

"Some marriage," he laughed, "Already on their way to divorce court because _neither _can remain faithful. I—"

"I forgive you!" Taylor cried, "You forgave me, and I can understand it, Chad! You wanted comfort, I get it!"

Chad's mouth was ajar, as was William's. Taylor took advantage of William's vulnerability to wrench out of his arms and dash into Chad's. Chad took her in warmly, wrapping his arms right round her, kissing her desperately, having missed her so much. William watched jealously, stroking the gun in his pocket, about to pull it out.

Troy had seen this action and leapt forwards, hitting William and pushing him into the wall, causing him to crack his head on the stone wall of the cabin. Troy was gripping his lapels, about to punch him when he heard a click. He looked down to see William _had _pulled out his gun and was pressing it to Troy's stomach, having pressed off the safety. Troy gritted his teeth, letting go of William's shirt. As William brandished the gun towards Taylor and Chad, Troy brought his foot down on William's, causing him to howl in pain, dropping the gun. Troy kicked it away, pushing William down. Before he could attack him properly, William had rolled away, snatching Zoë from where she was talking animatedly to Dylan and bringing her to the floor with a scream. Everyone froze as this madman held the little girl, who had begun sobbing.

William slowly got to his feet, still holding Zoë. His eyes on Troy, he began walking backwards around the cabin, to a garage at the side. Troy, Sharpay, Ryan and Gabriella followed him, all terrified for Zoë. Gabriella was still holding Shaun, and Ryan had both Angel and Dylan.

William opened the garage to reveal a quad bike. He climbed on it and turned it on, having seen the keys on the floor beside it. He reversed out the garage and flung Zoë off the bike, letting her land with a _thump _on the snow as he took off into the trees. Sharpay and Gabriella were at Zoë's side, helping her up, while Troy and Ryan watched after him.

"That unimaginable bastard," Ryan hissed, ignoring the fact he held two toddlers, "He ruins our family and still thinks it's alright."

Troy shook his head, "He hurt my daughter; he ruined my relationship, he kidnapped my friend…he's not getting away with this."

With that, Troy ran into the garage. Sure enough, at the back stood another quad bike, also with the keys beside it. He climbed on and took revved the engine, reversing out. Sharpay's head snapped up, "Troy! What're you doing?"

He looked up, his eyes meeting hers, seeing the desperation.

"I _love_ you!" he merely yelled over the roar of the engine, before speeding through the trees after William.

* * *

_**Next Time…: "It's Over"**_

_Shows William and Troy moving at a slow pace through the trees, glaring at each other._

TROY: It's over, William.

WILLIAM: No! I won't give up!

_Shows Gabriella yelling down the phone to the police._

_Shows Sharpay clinging to her children._

_Shows Taylor and Chad embracing._

_Shows Troy with a gun._

TROY: You almost ruined my life.

_Shows William with his own gun._

WILLIAM: My life was ruined as well, you know.

_Fades to black._

_A gunshot is heard._

_Sharpay looks up, eyes wide._

_Fades to black again._

_Shows Sharpay running through the forest_

_Fades to black again._

_Shows Gabriella clinging to Zoë._

_Fades to black again._

_Shows Ryan comforting Shaun and Dylan._

_Fades to black again._

TROY V/O: _(whispering)_ I love you.

_Fades to black again._

SHARPAY V/O: _(yelling)_** _Troy!!_**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Review!!_


	20. It’s Over

_Hiiiyaaa! This is becoming a regular occurrence but…sorry for lack of updating. ¬¬ _

_I am actually really __**DISTRAGHT**__ because my all time favourite actor in my all time favourite TV show – "Doctor Who" – is __leaving__ the show in 2009, and I am NOT HAPPY. TT-TT_

_But yeah._

_WHO'S SEEN HSM3??_

_Pahahaha, so Troyella-y, I could __**vomit**__. BAHAHAH. But it was okay, actually. Amazing songs…__**fantastic**__ dancing, I must say. Especially during the "THE BOYZZ ARE BACKZZZ" song. x3 _

_But yeah._

_Next chapter will be the __**last**__ chapter, I am afraid. And…I've warned you about the sad ending, right? :) Heh…heh…-gulp-_

_And __**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE**__ review! This is a sad chapter and I'd like to know if you were saddened and/or cried. xD_

Disclaimer: I own nada, amigos.

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_It's Over_

Troy sped through the forest, moving so quickly on the quad bike that the snow-capped trees blurred past him in a smear of white, brown and green.

Anger was bubbling through him, and he wanted more than anything to take this gun and put a bullet through this William's head. The man had the nerve to kidnap Taylor and ruin his family, but still maintained he'd done _the best thing_.

Troy leant right over the handlebars, his eyes scrunched up against the snow, looked desperately for any sign of William. He had no idea if he was going in the right direction; William would've made tire tracks but they had been covered by the heavily falling snow.

Wait…was that--?

Troy felt a grin stretch on his freezing face as he saw a flash of red in the distance. It was William on his red quad bike…and he was slowing down.

Troy veered sharply to the left, further away from William to put some space between them as he came up beside him. William's dark eyes were fixed on him, and Troy glared back with equal force as he slowed too.

They moved on in silence for a while, before William said in a low voice,

"Can you leave me well enough alone?"

Troy couldn't help it; he laughed.

"Why _would _I leave you alone?" he guffawed, "You…you kidnap my friend, my nephew, my _daughter_! You deserve to rot, far as I'm concerned."

"You're pretty protective about that kid of yours,"

"Of course I am; she is my _child_. I love her with all my heart,"

"You sure she's yours?" William said viciously, "Your woman cheated once. She could do it again,"

Troy's hand automatically flew to his pocket, where the butt of the gun was sticking out slightly. His fingers brushed against it, tensing around it, but he didn't pull it out…_yet_.

"It's over, William," he said through his gritted teeth. _Must. Not. Kill. Him._

"No!" William cried shrilly, "I won't give up! All I wanted was my Taylor!"

"She's not _yours_, you moron! She never was! Taylor is a strong, confident, amazing woman who wouldn't be _'owned'_ by any man! She's her own person; and she's brilliant!" Troy yelled passionately.

"God, it sounds like _you're _in love with her too."

"I'm not. I just know her; more than you do, apparently," Troy shot back. William's forehead scrunched up as if he was in pain, his eyes darkening even further.

"Y'know, she promised herself to me," he said in a dangerously calm voice, "Sure, we were young, but it wasn't like she didn't know what she was doing. She always seemed like someone to keep her promises…and I come back to find her married to that…that _guy_. With a _baby_!"

"You couldn't expect her to wait for you for 10 years. It isn't right; if you loved her…you'd let her go…" Troy ground out, personally sickened by the cheesiness, but he had resolved to give William a chance.

William laughed loudly; clearly he didn't like the cheesiness either, "You just stole that from _Shrek 2_."

Troy gritted his teeth.

"You took my friend. My nephew. My daughter." Troy repeated, angrily, "You tore my whole family apart; my whole _world_."

Troy's face contorted with rage, "You almost ruined my life."

With that, he deftly pulled the shotgun out of his pocket and pointed it straight at him, breathing heavily.

"My life was ruined as well, you know," William said softly, so softly Troy had to strain to hear him.

Suddenly, with a _click_ of metal, William produced yet another gun, and pointed it at Troy.

Troy squeezed the trigger, at the same time as William.

_BANG._

* * *

Sharpay stared into the woods after Troy, breathing shallowly, mist coming out her mouth from the cold. It rarely snowed in Albequerque; and here she was...standing in the midst of it, her boyfriend racing off to fight with a murderous kidnapper.

Zoë was clinging to her leg, Sharpay's arms around her tightly. Ryan was holding Shaun and Dylan while Gabriella was on the phone to the police.

Chad and Taylor stood a little way away with Angel, talking in low voices; reacquainting themselves.

She felt a hand land on her shoulder and she turned to see Ryan standing beside her, Shaun fast asleep in his arms.

"He'll be alright," he said in a quiet voice. Sharpay swallowed thickly.

"I-I…" she stammered, unable to say anything. Ryan looked sympathetically at her, and kissed her forehead lovingly.

Sharpay gently detached herself from Zoë and took Shaun in one arm, before bending down to Zoë's level and wrapping her spare arm around her, holding her children tight. Zoë clung back, whimpering.

"Mommy, who was that man?" she whispered, trembling. Sharpay sighed.

"He's not a problem." Sharpay assured her, "Daddy…your daddy is dealing with him, okay?"

Zoë was quiet for a moment, before murmuring, "Where's Daddy gone, Mommy?"

For this, Sharpay had no answer, so she just pressed a kiss to Zoë's forehead.

"We need _help_!" came Gabriella's shrieking voice, "We are in the middle of _the woods_!! My brother-in-law is chasing a _lunatic _on _quad bikes _in the _snow_! … _no_, buddy, I kid you _not_. **NOT**!!"

Sharpay couldn't help but giggle (along with Zoë) at Gabriella's outburst, but after getting a venomous glare from the woman herself, stayed quiet until she hung up.

"Okay," Gabriella sighed, "The police are gonna send a squad; we just need to meet them on the nearest road to show them where we are."

"Useless lumps," Sharpay muttered crossly. Gabriella smiled sadly at her.

"It's just the way it's gotta be, Sharpay,"

Ryan put a hand on Gabriella's arm, "Gabby, let's you and I go,"

"No," Gabriella said strongly, "No, _you _go, I should stay,"

"Gabby." Ryan said sternly, "All I want is you safe. You're pregnant; you're vulnerable. Please, for _me_."

"Ry, _please _don't do this! I wanna stay!" Gabriella exclaimed, cradling her slightly-curved stomach, "I'll be okay! _We _will! Let me stay."

"_Why_? Why would staying please you so much?"

"Cos –"

Gabriella was cut off by a shrill sound going off.

A gunshot.

_BANG._

Sharpay's head snapped up, looking off in the direction it came from. Zoë stiffened in her mother's arms while Shaun awoke and started wailing, but Sharpay didn't seem to notice.

"Troy," she whispered, under her breath as she slowly rose to her feet, "Troy."

Ryan stepped forward, gently taking Shaun from Sharpay and shushing him.

"Shar—" he began, but the minute Sharpay was free of the baby she took off at a run through the trees, her blonde hair flailing behind her.

"MOMMY!" Zoë shrieked, attempting to run after her, only to be grabbed by her aunt Gabriella, who held her close as she flailed and screamed.

Chad, seeing the commotion, kissed Taylor quickly and chased after the blonde, yelling her name loudly. Taylor scooped up Angel and called to Gabriella that she would meet the police, and she set off on her trek back to the road.

* * *

Troy looked on with a straight face, devoid of emotion, as William looked back, trembling, a bloom of red blood billowing over his shirt. With a tiny, forced smile, the kidnapper fell back off his quad bike, hitting the snow with a soft _thump_.

Troy held his breath, eyes and mind focusing on what he had done.

He had killed another human being.

_He deserved it._,a voice, sounding freakishly like Chad, said in his mind.

_Did he really?_, came Sharpay's tinkling voice came through his head.

_YES._

_Okay. He did some bad stuff; but out of love_…

_Oh, how stupid it that…??!_

Troy let the voices bicker, suddenly overcome by the strangest sensation in his stomach, one that had been pestering him for the last five minutes. It was a feeling of numbness, but also blinding pain at the same time.

Troy coughed violently, and felt something dribble on his chin. He brought his gloved hand up to his chin and his eyes widened at the blood staining his black fingertips.

He leaned over his handle bars, trembling, and spat on the snow, the vibrant red staining the pristine white of the snow.

* * *

Sharpay raced through the forest, following the tire tracks that she could only just see, since the snow had eased up, leaving only tiny snowflakes to fall on her, and they melted almost immediately.

She could hear Chad blundering along behind her, but she was smaller and lither, and moved quicker than his bulky form.

Tears of worry burnt her eyes, and suddenly the faint tracks veered off, and she followed, stepping gently to leave as little trace as possible in case William was still around.

Her eyes caught sight of two quad bikes, one red, one green, about 50 meters away, several feet apart. Both looked abandoned.

She went to the green one, looking all over for a sign of her partner, and nearly fainted when she saw stains of red on the snow. She looked over to the red one and saw a figure lying behind it, unmoving.

It was William; shot dead, Sharpay could tell immediately.

She ignored him (Chad would undoubtedly discover him before the snow buried him) and crouched on the ground, searching for footprints.

Finally, she found a trail. She followed it on her hands and knees, tears of desperation pouring down her cheeks as she prayed to God that Troy would be okay.

Sharpay got to her feet once she decided the trail was clearer, and found herself entering a clearing; no trees, just perfect white snow.

Except…

Sharpay's heart rate sped up as she saw the trail of footprints led straight across the perfect oval of white, and on the opposite side a figure was leaning against a tree, his panting loud enough to be heard across the space and his hands clutching his abdomen, stained red…

Her gasp must've been as loud as his pants; for he looked up and Troy's pained ultramarine eyes met her horrified brown orbs.

"Sharpay…" she saw him mouth, before he collapsed, falling into the snow with a _thump_, causing a white cloud to rise.

Sharpay set into action, running across the clearing and falling to her knees beside him.

"Troy!" she whispered, pained, "Oh my God, baby, what happened? Troy, _talk _to me!"

Troy's eyes opened tiredly and, disorientated, he met her gaze, "Shar…Shar, I did it…I got 'im…"

Sharpay nodded, trembling, her hot tears falling onto his chest, "Yeah. Yes, darling, you got him. He's dead. You got your revenge!"

Troy frowned and he reached up weakly, thumbing away a tear on her cheek.

"Don't cry, Sharpay," he whispered, "I…love you too much; I don't want you to be sad, baby,"

Sharpay choked back another sob, "I'm not sad. You'll be okay! _Help _is coming, I promise!"

She looked up, her shimmering eyes searching the wall of trees.

"_Chad_!" she shrieked, "Chad, come _help_! _Please_!"

"Sharpay…" came a faint voice, squeezing her hand. Sharpay looked down again, barely noticing that her ivory-white fingers were now smeared with her boyfriend's blood.

"Sharpay…when you get home…" Troy wheezed, "I want you to look in my bedside drawer, 'kay? Two things are in there…they're rightfully yours…"

"No need." Sharpay spat defiantly, "You'll…you'll be there to give me them, okay?! You're gonna be alright…you'll survive. For the love of _God_, where the hell is Chad?! _**Chad**_??!" she shrieked again.

"Don't…waste your breath," Troy whispered. He gave a trembling chuckle, "Shot. Least I would've died an interesting death,"

"_You won't __die__!!_" Sharpay whispered, leaning close and pressing a kiss to his pale lips. The metallic taste of blood was left on her own.

"Tut tut, Sharpay. My little dramatist," Troy smiled, stroking her blonde hair, "You can't pretend forever, baby,"

"I can. I will." Sharpay breathed with a tiny smile, her breath warm on Troy's face. He shook his head.

"I forgive you," he whispered, "For everything that's happened, I forgive you. And I wouldn't have my life any other way. You…you and the kids…have made me happier than anyone else could in the universe…tell them I love them,"

Troy's eyes closed slightly, and he whispered, "Tell them. I love them. And…I love you,"

"I love you too..." Sharpay said tenderly, brushing his hair genlty, "You can tell them yourself and tell _me _that everyday! I can hear Chad now; you'll be okay! Troy?"

Troy didn't answer; his eyes were half closed and his mouth lax. His breath loosened around her fingers, his breathing ceased.

Sharpay felt tightness in her chest, squeezing her ribs and heart and lungs; she couldn't breathe, think or move.

_NONONONONONONONONO__**NO**__!!!!!_

"Troy? _Troy_?! No, no, please, baby, _please _open your eyes! Don't do this to me, don't you _DARE DIE_!!! Please, darling, I love you! I'm sorry! I love you, I love you, I love you too! Troy? _**Troy!!**_"


	21. November 2015 And Others

_-eyes wide-_

_Uuuuuuum…wow! So many reviews asking what happens to Troy! … heh…heh –guuuulp- _

_Almost last chapter._

_The definite end will be next one._

_Maybe we can reach 200 reviews__ by then? PLZ?? (A)_

Disclaimer: After almost one year (shitt!!) of writing "High School Musical", I will say once more ¬¬ … I DON'T OWN IT. Though HSM3 rocked my socks x3 – it was fo'shizz cool. The songs made me go "YAY!" – "AWESOME!" – or, sickeningly, "AWWW!". DAMN TROYELLA OVERLOAD –ded– And

ZE at the start. LOL. _–hairflickhairflick– _

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_November 2015 And Others..._

_November 25__th__ 2015, 11.30AM_

"Mommy, Mommy!"

Sharpay Evans looked up to see her daughter run into the kitchen, practically bouncing, a grin lighting up her whole cherubic face, her eyes alive with glee.

"What is it, baby?" Sharpay asked, a small smile on her face.

"It's _snowing_!" the youngster practically sang, "Snowing!"

Sharpay kept smiling, despite it becoming slightly forced, "Snowing?"

"_Yeah_! Uncle Ryan says it's the first time in _seven years_."

"Yeah, it is," Sharpay mused, "Actually, the first time in about seven years and five days."

"The first time since 2008? November 20th 2008 – wait…"

Sharpay grimaced as her daughter mentally made the connections, and then she was staring back up at her mother, face stricken.

"The last time it snowed was when…he—?" she whimpered. Sharpay swallowed thickly.

"Never mind that, honey," she cooed, "It's been a long time."

The young girl nodded, her youthful glee returning, "Wanna come see the snow?"

Sharpay shook her head, "No thanks, hon. I'm more of a…summer person, really."

The youngster pouted. Sharpay couldn't help but giggle.

"You are so much like your father!"

She sighed, shaking her head.

"Why don't you go see if Shaun and Zoë want to play?"

* * *

_November 21__st__ 2008, 1.46AM_

Sharpay Evans staggered into her dark bedroom, breathing shallowly and desperately as her whole body shook with sobs.

Ryan and Gabriella had taken Chad, Taylor, Zoë and Shaun into their house to leave her alone for the time being.

Sharpay wanted to feel sorry for them – Ryan's face, pale, and drawn, his eyes blank; Gabriella and Taylor, tears coursing down their cheeks as they clutched the confused children ; Chad, his eyes moist as he clenched his hands into fists, barely containing his grief – but she couldn't. She could only feel her _own _pain, anguish, loss, rage and infinite grief.

He was gone.

_He was gone, he was gone, he was gone, he was gone._

The doctor's words flew around her mind in a tangled mess of syllables.

_We worked hard…_

…_nothing we could do…_

…_too much blood loss…_

_I'm so sorry…_

She bit back another furious sob and fell onto her bed – _their _bed -, giving in to the sadness as the sobs came uncontrollably.

Against her own will, she found herself running through what had happened…

Chad burst in on her hugging Troy's still body to herself.

After that, it was a bit of a blank for her until she got to the hospital. A nurse insisted on checking her over, as apparently she'd been lying unresponsive in the snow for a prolonged time. Sharpay had fought desperately against her helpful hands, wanting to go in with Troy, and finally had been released, only to meet the doctor and her friends in the corridor, full of the bad news that she had desperately wanted to believe was a lie.

After arguing, pleading and ignoring for over an hour, she had finally realised they weren't lying to her and had ran into the waiting room in floods of tears, only to catapult straight into Lisa and Jack Bolton's arms.

They had almost instantly realised that their beloved son was dead, and had cried with her, before deciding they should head up instead of grieving in the hospital car park.

Sharpay had insisted on being on her own…which is how she wound up lying on her bed, in a darkened room, sobbing and pummelling a pillow in rage.

"How could he _leave me_?!" she shrieked, muffled by the soft cushion which still smelt faintly of her partner's cologne.

After this fit carried on for an uncertain amount of time, Sharpay finally ceased moving, exhaustion weighing down on her like lead as she settled her head on the pillow, tears still silently gliding down her pallid cheeks, her eyes sliding shut.

Her dreams were filled with times of the past.

The fun they had in high school, before everything changed and got more complicated. When Sharpay was with Zeke, silently loving Troy while he waltzed around with Gabriella.

One of the most vivid images was when she found out she was pregnant.

"_NO!!" her younger self shrieked, throwing the stick to the ground, "No, no, no, no, no, fucking NO!"_

_Gabriella sat on the bed, staring more calmly at her own pregnancy test, which too had the little pink plus symbol. _

_Sharpay was now pacing the room, running her hands so violently through her hair she was almost ripping it out. _

"_Sharpay," Gabriella whispered, choked up, "It'll…it'll be okay. Keep __calm__."_

"_It'll be okay?? __**IT'LL BE OKAY**__?? Like __**fuck**__ it will!" Sharpay screamed, before picking up a chair and with a grunt throwing it out of Gabriella's balcony door, smashing the glass. Gabriella jumped off her bed and staggered back, eyes wide._

_"Sharpay, I know you're emotional, but please, keep calm," the smaller girl begged, squeezing her friend's arm. Sharpay sighed and leaned into Gabriella's embrace, sobbing._

The images kept fast forwarding, through Zoë's birth, through their return. Every moment between her and Troy up until Taylor disappeared, every happy moment they shared.

When she woke up, eyelashes clumpy from her tears, sunlight was streaming through the window, and the clock said it was almost ten in the morning. Sharpay sat up, eyes wide and blinking, looking around the room – it looked so…_normal_, like it always had. Somehow, she'd expected the house to mourn the loss with her.

Just thinking about what had happen made Sharpay want to fall back onto the bed and cry until she was so dehydrated she'd die and join her Troy. For the first time since she discovered she was pregnant at 17, she _wanted _to die. She would be so much better if she just ceased to exist.

She couldn't get Troy's face out of her mind – as much as she wanted to picture him in the better times, every time she closed her eyes, she saw him lying on the snow, his eyes dull blue and half-shut, mouth ajar with a trickle of blood at the cornor, his cheeks as pale as the snow beside them.

"_I want you to look in my bedside drawer, 'kay? Two things are in there…they're rightfully yours…"_

Sharpay sat up suddenly, as his voice echoed eerily around her head. She had only just remembered that he said that.

Shakily, she slid out of bed and onto her knees, kneeling in front of Troy's bedside cabinet. Her hand shaking violently, she reached towards the doorknob and pulled the cupboard door open.

Inside, there was only a small bag from Tiffany's. Sharpay's moist eyes widened of their own accord – Troy never brought things from Tiffany's.

Sticking out of the blue bag was an envelope, which Sharpay pulled out first. Her name was written in a familiar messy scrawl on it, and she slowly ripped it open, unsure about what would be in it.

There was a single piece of paper, folded up inside, the writing on it especially small and neat to fit it all on.

"_Dear Sharpay_…"

It sounded all so _formal_ considering the love of her life had written it to her!

"…_Hmm. Oh boy; this isn't good! You reading this letter – I hoped you never would if I tell the truth. I hoped I'd still be around to get rid of it. Ah well!_..."

…**still be around to get rid of it**? What did he mean by _that_?

"…_well…okay, I am writing this about five minutes before we leave to find this 'Uncle Willy' guy who took Zoë. Remember? I said I just wanted to go to the bathroom, you screamed "OUR DAUGHTER IS MISSING AND YOU WANT TO PEE???", Dylan burst out laughing and that vein that means you're angry popped out on your forehead lol._"

Sharpay smiled for the first time in hours as she remembered, touching her forehead self-consciously.

"..._well, while I was (ahem) taking a pee, it occurred to me that I am an __athlete__. We are GOOD at getting easily pissed off – I'm gonna wind up fighting this dickhead, aren't I? The one who kidnapped Zoë, Dylan and Taylor? Haha, I know I am. And he's gonna kill me, I bet! I wonder if anyone in Heaven (or any other place I may wind up) would take that bet … meh, hopefully you'll draw even with him. Kick him where it hurts, honey :)._"

Sharpay giggled through her wobbling lip, tears once again burning her eyes. Troy _knew _he was going to die – how he had such incentive she didn't know – but he did. And he was okay with it; light-hearted, even.

"…_Look, I am only writing this in an attempt to make it easier for you! I know this may sound sliiiightly self obsessive, but I like to think you WOULD mourn me if I died or something. Anyway, I really don't want you to sit around thinking 'Troy's dead, my life is OVER.'. Please, move on, Shar. Despite everything that has happened, everything that we've been through, we've __always__ stuck through it and made it to the other side. I love you like I have never loved anyone else – you're the first thing I think about, the __last__ thing I think about, the mother of my children and the woman I did wrong by by not marrying you as soon as possible. Everytime we were out and someone asks 'How long have you been married?' and you say 'Oh, we're not.', it nearly killed me. I should've married you after Shaun was born, or when Ryan and Gabby got married, or as soon as you returned to me; cos I've been in love with you since I was 17 years old, Sharpay Evans – I was just too much of a thickheaded dumbass teenage boy to realize it. _

_In the bag, you'll find something I've been meaning to give you – I should've given it to you earlier, but whatever. As long as you get it; and I want you to know I'll __always__ be with you, Shar. I love you – and always will – more than words can say. I love you and our kids so much, I can't even think of words to describe it; it's so big I can't comprehend it!_"

Sharpay traced the words gently, feeling tears he'd clearly wept as he wrote his heart on the paper; he'd been so prepared to die for his family's honor that he'd done all this before.

"…_And…I guess that's all I can say, Sharpay. I love you, so much. And I'm sorry if you are reading this; truly, I am. So so sorry that I've left you. Tell __Zoë __and Shaun that their daddy adores them, and always will. _

_I love you, Sharpay Evans. _

_Your Troy xxx_"

Sharpay swallowed thickly, her vision so clouded with tears that she could barely see the paper as she let it float to the floor. Hand trembling, she took up the bag and opened it, pulling out a tiny, velvet black box.

Her heart literally skipped two beats when she saw it. A tiny black box, like she'd always dreamed of, sitting in the palm of her shaking hand.

She gently lifted the lift.

The first thing that caught her attention was the gold swirly calligraphy on the white satin inside the lid, reading _For the Love of my Life_.

The next thing was, nestled in the box and gleaming away at her, a ring.

A sparkling diamond blinked up at her, nestled bang in the middle of a gold band, tiny little rubies and crystals beside it going the rest of the way around the main body of the ring. Sharpay inhaled sharply, hand clapping to her mouth as she stared at the engagement ring.

He was going to _propose_.

Finally, Sharpay couldn't contain her tears any longer; they flooded down her cheeks in torrents as the box fell to the floor and her hands came up to her face.

**_TroyTroyTroyTroyTroyTroyTroyTroyTroyTroyTroyTroy_…**

His name whirled around her head, his face smiling, and her heart nearly burst with her love for him.

She didn't want to live! She _couldn't _live while he wasn't here.

She leapt to her feet, suddenly full of energy, and ran to the bathroom, nearly stumbling over the toilet. She groped around the bathroom for a moment, before finally finding her desire; Troy's razor.

It kinda made sense – her own life stopped short by her own hand, but with his blade.

She poised it over her wrist, ready to end herself, climb up that long dark tunnel into the light and be with him again – she _needed _him.

Tears continued to drip down her face as she stared at her hands, one shaking and the other firmly gripping the lethal object.

And she just stopped.

As much as she didn't want to live, something inside her screamed not to do it. Her whole body tensed up; she needed to be alive for _something_.

_There's always something worth living for, Sharpay_.

The little voice in her mind sounded remarkably like Troy; in fact, maybe it was his voice.

But it was right. She _did _have something.

She had two beautiful children – her last connections to Troy.

Her friends – they would support her.

And Troy. He had wanted her to move on; live her life.

The razor clunked to the bathroom floor as Sharpay dazedly made her way out to the main room, swaying as she knelt down and picked up the ring, which had bounced out of its box and was sparkling on the carpet. She inspected it casually; it was beautiful. Just the sort of thing Troy would pick out. Giving a small, trembling smile, she slipped it onto her ring finger.

It fit perfectly.

* * *

_January 4__th__ 2009, 9.30PM_

"How could this _happen_?" Chad Danforth bellowed, pacing around the Bolton's living room.

Since Troy's death, the Danforth's had been staying with Sharpay – obviously due to the fact that their home had been burnt down. The house was in the process of being rebuilt, but Chad was showing a certain reluctance to staying away from Sharpay's family; he wanted to be as close to the last bit of the late Troy Bolton as possible.

The fire in the fireplace was burning readily; although the weather began to get slightly better in January, it was colder than usual. Chad's wife Taylor sat curled up on the sofa, tears streaking down her face as her harsh gaze directed straight at Chad.

Sharpay Evans kneeled by the fire, the flames illuminating her blonde locks and content face – since losing Troy, she had been surprisingly mellow; she knew that Troy would still be with her. On her ring finger, a familiar diamond ring she had been 'given' gleamed, a gold band she'd brought herself along with it, showing that she was _technically_ married. Her hands were wrapped protectively around her stomach as she gazed into the fire, humming a soft tune to herself.

"What're we going to _do_?" Chad exclaimed, turning on his wife, "Taylor! Taylor, _help _me!"

Taylor glared back, "Why? You got yourself into this mess, Charles!"

Chad winced away from his full name, before turning to glare at Sharpay.

"This is _your _fault! Why couldn't you have noticed EARLIER? When we had a chance to _do something_?!"

Sharpay remained silent.

The thing that she, Chad and Taylor were…_discussing _(loudly) was the shocking news they had received that morning.

Sharpay was pregnant.

Gabriella had guessed it. Over the last couple of months, she had noticed Sharpay getting bigger, and all the other symptoms, and the morning before, had brought over a home pregnancy test and insisted she used it. Sharpay had refused and _this _morning, Gabriella and Ryan had brought over Taylor's father, Robert McKessie to Sharpay's house. Robert was a doctor, and after Taylor thought she'd miscarried Angel, he'd come and discovered she was infact still pregnant. To Sharpay's primary annoyance and then shock, he'd diagnosed that she was pregnant. The moment he'd said this, Chad had blown into such a rage that Robert couldn't even announce properly how far along she was, he'd left in such a hurry.

Of course, Chad immediately leapt to action, screaming, yelling and tantruming; he _was _after all the father.

* * *

_November 26__th__ 2015, 12.30PM_

Sharpay tiptoed quietly into the dark room and turned on the small lamp, smiling warmly at the sight.

Her eleven-year-old daughter, Zoë, lay in her bed, snoozing contently; Sharpay was unsure whether Zoë knew her little sister had crawled in with her during the night. Sure enough, the six year old was wrapped in her big sister's arms, mumbling audibly in her sleep.

Sharpay glanced at the time again and rolled her eyes; they'd had plenty enough sleep.

"Zoë," she breathed, leaning down and giving the older girl a shake. Zoë fidgeted a moment before letting her eyes slide open, big walnut orbs meeting identical one.

"Mooooooooooom…" she moaned, attempting to roll over but almost crushing her sister in the action, waking her with a start.

"_Zoë_!"

"JEEZ!! When the hell did _you _get in here?

"Last night! I had a bad dream,"

"What was that?" Zoë yawned, lying back and pulling her sister into a hug. The younger girl cuddled contently into her sister, clearly not noticing her mother standing over, watching lovingly.

"'twas Daddy," the six-year-old mumbled, "He came back and didn't want me,"

Zoë visibly stiffened, her eyes meeting her mother's. Her sister frowned and rolled over, eyes widening when she saw Sharpay.

"Mommy! I—"

"It's okay, sweetie," Sharpay smiled softly, scooping her daughter up, "I wish he would come back for you too…"

"And for you?"

Sharpay paused, stroking her baby's wild hair, "Maybe."

Zoë gave a dramatic eye roll and rolled out of bed, her chestnut hair falling stylishly around her shoulders, "Yeah yeah, what's for breakfast?"

Sharpay gave a laugh, "Ooh, yeah, Miss Teenager! Well, your hair looks nice today,"

Zoë ruffled her own hair, grinning cheekily, "Yep. Just wanna look rough 'n' ready!"

With that, she took off down the hall, hearing her mother give a shriek of indifference.

"_WHERE did you pick up __**that **__term_??!!"

Zoë laughed, ignoring her as she pelted into her brother's room.

Seven-year-old Shaun was already up and dressed in his soccer uniform, his blonde hair flopping into his blue eyes. Zoë paused, eyeing him jealously for a moment – _how she wished she had his colouring _– before smiling suddenly, straightening up.

"What?" Shaun asked suspiciously, picking up soccer ball from the floor, "You usually glare at me like that for longer,"  
Zoë's grin widened.

"I usually _am _jealous of lots of people – then I remember I have boobs and that makes it all _so much _better!" she exclaimed, relishing in his face contorting in disgust.

But, it was true. Despite being only eleven, Zoë had developed quickly, and many people mistook her for thirteen or fourteen. Unfortunately, she had inherited Sharpay's height and was short, while Shaun had also taken his father's basketball-figure, and was nearly as tall as her despite being four years younger…which did _not _amuse Zoë.

But, Shaun's sport of choice was soccer, while Zoë enjoyed basketball. In fact, Zoë managed to enjoy _most _sports, while being a huge girly-girl. Sharpay often chuckled that she and Troy would've had the perfect daughter if… and that's how the sentence ended; with that "_if…_".

Zoë sighed as her eyes drifted to the family photo on Shaun's wall. Their mother was holding a pink, squishy new-born baby with a tuft of blonde hair sticking out from a blue cap, her own face red and sweaty. Troy stood beside her, grinning like a madman, leant down so his chin was resting on his partner's shoulder as he smiled at the photographer (inevitably Uncle Ryan). Zoë sat in her mother's lap, staring in awe at her new baby brother. She had loved him then, and she still loved him now. She and Shaun were the weirdest brother and sister in Albuquerque – they adored each other.

Zoë retreated back to her room once her mother was gone and threw on her jeans, Converse All-Star trainers and her dad's old basketball jersey, before heading outside, climbing over the fence into next door's garden.

The garden next door was a change; while the Bolton's garden was slightly straggly and overgrown, with an old swing set at the bottom and an algae-ridden pond, the Evans's garden was cleanly cut, and neat. A peanut-shape swimming pool took up most of the space, with a shiny new swing set off in the cornor and a barbeque against the fence. Zoë landed with a small _thump_on the melting snow and set off across the lawn, climbing onto the porch and rapping twice on the glass window. She shivered against the slight chill – she wasn't _used _to cold! She lived in friggin' New Mexico!

A moment later, a familiar woman with curly brown hair and brown eyes appeared, grinning as she slid open the door.

"Aha, she rises!" Gabriella Evans grinned, hoisting the baby on her hip.

Gabriella and Ryan moved into the house next to Sharpay shortly after Gabriella lost the baby she was pregnant with – a baby boy. It seemed the stress of her whole pregnancy had got to her. Unfortunately, she'd also had tremendous damage to her womb and couldn't bear anymore children.

Then, just a year ago, Ryan had got involved in his colleague's case – his friend, Ricky had represented an old lady (known only as Penny P.) who was suing her son-in-law for custody of her granddaughter – she claimed her son-in-law, Ryder Thomas, had abused both his daughter and late wife physically.

Then, Penny died of cancer, but not before proof of Ryder's abuse on his daughter was found in the form of bruises around her neck. Gabby and Ryan went with Ricky to visit the child in hospital – and they fell in love with her instantly. The 18-month-old had curly black hair and big green eyes flecked with brown around the pupil, and despite all she had been through, she gave a huge smile to each visitor, showing two rows of pearly teeth. Her skin was almost the same colour as Taylor's, but darker, and the couple had wasted no time in adopting her. They had renamed her Maria Elizabeth Mary Evans. Gabriella had meant for her to be called Maria, but the funny arrangement of her names had made Dylan call her "Meme" which was changed to "Mimi", thus earning her a completely unrelated nickname.

Mimi grinned down from her adoptive mother's arms as Zoë followed them in.

Dylan sat with his father watching the television. His brown curls had grown straighter with age and flopped sexily in his blue eyes, his skin a light mocha colour.

_If_, Zoë thought, _if we weren__'t related, I'd think he was quite gorgeous_.

But, Dylan was her cousin and her best friend. He, like her, did a lot of sports, but, as both his parents were not very tall, he was about an inch shorter than Zoë and he _hated _it.

"It's not FAIR!" he would moan, "I'm _older _than you!"

"Yeeeeah…by a couple of hours!" Gabby would retort, only adding to Zoë's smugness.

"I'm still OLDER!"

Zoë chuckled and threw herself down beside her cousin, grabbing a slice of toast from his plate.

"Gimme that back. And, mornin', by the way."

Zoë chuckled and took a bite of the toast, smiling at his cross expression.

"You're gonna pay for that, Bolton," he muttered darkly, although he had a humorous glint in his periwinkle eyes.

"Am I…_Evans_?"

"Yes you are…_Bolton_."

"Well, _Evans_…"

"Enough!" Ryan exclaimed, covering his ears, "Zoë, Dyl, stop!"

The two eleven-year-olds grinned sheepishly and turned back to the news.

* * *

Sharpay stood in her own garden, having watched her eldest daughter scrabble over the fence to Ryan and Gabriella's yard. Smiling slightly at the thought of how much Zoë was like Troy (if also a lot like her too), she turned to the pond and wrinkled her nose. The surface of the pond was scummy and green with algae; she _had _to find someone to fix that.

"Ugh…uh, _oof_!"

A strange chorus of noise behind Sharpay made her turn and her mouth fall open. Her younger daughter, dressed in a coat, jeans and boots, was hanging onto the top of the fence, her little legs kicking as she struggled to pull herself up.

"_Tiffany_!" Sharpay shrieked. Tiffany, surprised, lost her grip and landed on a pile of snow in a cloud of white. Sharpay immediately ran over, seeing her little face pucker up and her eyes begin watering.

"Oh, Tiff," she sighed, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around the small girl, "You're still too little, baby."

Tiffany sniffled, "S'not fair. Why can't _I _get over it? Zoë can, and Dyl, and Angel too. Why—?"

"When you get older, you will," Sharpay assured her, before leaning closer and touching her nose to Tiffany's, smiling, "Or you might have Uncle Ryan's lack of balance..."

"No!" Tiffany cried in horror. Sharpay giggled at her daughter's face and pulled her up.

"Come on, princess. Let's clean you up."

Tiffany nodded and took her mother's hand. Sharpay led her back to the house, trying not to dwell on the fact that all her children were so much like Troy.

* * *

_January 4__th__ 2009, 9.35PM_

Both Sharpay and Taylor were surprised when Chad suddenly broke off mid-tirade. He was still voicing his feelings about Sharpay's pregnancy and had been for a while, but now he stood in the middle of the room, shoulders sagging and a look of utter defeat on his face.

"Chad…?" Taylor whispered fearfully; whenever Chad became serious and quiet, something was _always _wrong.

"What's wrong, Chad?"

Chad gave her an '_ask-a-stupid-question_' look before sighing, "I just…I wish Troy was here."

At the sound of her late boyfriend's name, Sharpay jerked, her eyes snapping up to the man before her. There was no way she could keep blissfully ignoring the conversation now, not now that she was reminded of _him_.

If Chad had noticed Sharpay's reaction, he pretended not to as he continued, "I mean, if he were here, he'd tell me that everything would be alright and I'd figure it out…or at the very least he'd punch me for knocking up his girl, and make me feel a _little _better. But…he's not."

Sharpay had to swallow a lump in her throat; he was right. If he wasn't your enemy, Troy was your friend, and nothing in between. He always had a way of cheering you up. And the fact that the happiest member of the gang was…was dead…it just seemed like irony or cruelty.

Taylor, however, did not join in the melancholy mood. She climbed to her feet and gave Chad a death-glare.

"You…stupid…_bastard_!" she snarled, punctuating each word with a slap on the arm, "Of _all _the insensitive things to say!"

"OW! _Taylor_!"

"As if it wasn't bad enough you got her pregnant!" Taylor cried, "You have to _blame her_ and then bring up her dead boyfriend?! Good God!"

Before Chad could open his mouth and retort, Sharpay cleared her throat.

"You know…" she began, eyes flicking from Chad to Taylor, "Considering this conversation's about _me_, I'm not getting much of a say."

Chad and Taylor lowered their heads guiltily, before sitting back down.

"Sorry, Shar," Taylor mumbled, "So…what do _you _want?"

Sharpay frowned at her bemusedly.

"She means," Chad broke in, "Do you want to…um, go through with this, er, thing?"

"Yes," Sharpay exclaimed, horrified, "I'm not gonna…_kill _my child!"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Chad stammered, "I just meant, ah…!"

"I don't want to talk about _what _I'm going to do," Sharpay told him, "That's my decision. But I need to tell you something first."

She straightened up a little, and shifted until she was comfortable, resting one hand on her abdomen.

"Weeeelll…" she began, "Chad, when did we, er, sleep together?"

"I don't know…" he replied, "November? Early-ish."

"Yeah," Sharpay agreed, "Like, the tenth? I can remember it was around then. After my fight with…"

She trailed off and Chad and Taylor nodded in understanding, letting her gather herself.

"Well, that would make me three or four months along, yeah?" Sharpay asked. The pair opposite her nodded again, "Well, guys, when Robert was examining me, he told me I was pregnant just before he told you. And, according to my symptoms and the size of, well, the bump," she giggled a little before continuing, "I'm a little over five months pregnant."

There was a moment of stunned silence as the revelation sunk into Chad and Taylor.

"You mean…" Taylor gasped in realization, "The baby is…_Troy's_?"

Sharpay smiled sadly and nodded. Chad blinked, still in shock, before the 'Chad Danforth' twinkle returned to his eyes and he announced, "_It's a New Year's miracle!_"

"Chad?" Sharpay said, with her first proper smile since before Troy's death.

"Yeah?"

"You're an _idiot_."

* * *

_November 26__th__ 2015, 12.40PM_

"Tiffany Lisa Bolton!" Sharpay cried, giggling crazily, "How did you manage to get snow in your _clothes_?"

Tiffany scowled, "Wasn't _my _fault!"

"Honey, you fell off a fence you're too small to climb..."

"UGH! I know!" she cried, clearly sick of hearing it, "You must think I'm such a...a...a _Clarissa_!"

Sharpay looked solemnly at her and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Tiffany..._no-one _deserves the title of a Clarissa."

The children of all the gang had often been relayed the story of Clarissa Robinson – she was Chad's favourite horror story and the children's worst monster-under-the-bed.

The fact that she'd dated (at least, 'dated' was the child-friendly way of putting it) other men while with Ryan, become all _Fatal Attraction_-y when he left her for Gabriella (the authorities had even found proof that she was the one who hit Sharpay with a car while finding evidence against her in the case of her murdered husband), lied to Ryan about a baby, made Ryan leave Gabriella and get engaged to her, was stupid enough to claim to have miscarried and then let Ryan catch her partying, and then used the murder trial to worm her way back into the gang's life and ruin the Evans's relationship was enough to give the younger kids nightmares.

Luckily, she was a threat none of them would ever have to encounter again; days before the final trial, and only a week before Tiffany's birth, Clarissa was hit by a bus in Los Angeles and died instantly.

**(A.N. I don't remember who suggested a bus but whoever it was...ROCK ON DUDE!)**

The news was even enough to pull Gabriella out of her lengthy depression after losing the baby – she hated to think ill of the dead but _God_, was she glad that blonde Barbie beyotch was gone!

"I do," Tiffany grumbled, wriggling off her heavy coat. Her brown hair sprung lively out of the hood – she had inherited the natural curliness of her maternal grandmother's hair, although her colouring was all her fathers. Her eyes were ultramarine and a perfect walnut shape, with a cute button nose and a splattering of freckles.

Sharpay smiled lovingly at her as she skipped into the kitchen, climbing onto the counter (which was thankfully less high than the gate) and wave across the street.

Across the road lived the Danforths; Chad, Taylor, Angel, Bella and Cheyenne.

Angel, now nine years old, was on the snow covered lawn on her knees, patting them repeatedly as she called encouragement to the youngest Danforths. Bella and Cheyenne were thirteen months old and just beginning to walk; Bella stood uncertainly between her big sister and the safety net that was her mother on the other side, while Cheyenne sat comfortably on Taylor's lap, gurgling. Chad was hovering around Bella, terrified that she was going to fall.

Bella was a complete daddy's girl, and Chad was totally wrapped around her little finger.

Angel looked up briefly and waved back to Tiff, before going back to Bella just as she rushed some wobbly steps and fell into her big sister's arms.

Sharpay also watched, her face alight with a grin, as she felt her mind wonder. How different they all were without Troy Bolton. The Danforths and Evanses were _officially _what she would call "the perfect American families".

"You are too!" Taylor and Gabriella both would insist, laughing as they had a cup of coffee and discussed family life. It'd been so long that they rarely discussed Troy, and sometimes he would slip her friends' minds. But Sharpay knew they would never forget. So she'd twist her ring fondly and shake her head.

"No." She'd say determinedly, "The perfect American family is mom, dad and kids. Where's my children's' daddy, huh?"

And they'd falter, the light fading briefly from their eyes.

"You miss him, don't you?" one of them would say. Sharpay would nod, smiling ever so slightly.

"Yes; of course I do, yes! With all my heart."

* * *

_Last chapter will be up soon!! Its a bit of an uneventful epilogue but yeah xD Today or tomorrow..._

_Review!!_


	22. The End

_Wow.O_______________________________o_

_Last chapter…of my __long "Missing You" saga._

_.._

_-sniff-_

_Well, can I just say, THAAAAAAANK YOU for being such loyal reviewers, especially the likes of _**ClaimedByShadow**_ and _**HeSaidSheSaidx**_. :3 But all of you are amaaaaaaazing and I couldn't have done all of this without you tbh :) _

_So, please to be reviewing on last time? :') _

_Loooove, Beth xx_

* * *

The World Changes and Rearranges

_The End_

**The Danforths**

Chad Danforth still thought of Troy Bolton. Every day.

They had known each other all of their lives; they were born barely a week apart and their mothers had been in the same Lamaze classes and under the same doctors; Lisa Bolton and Annette Danforth had been great friends.

Troy and Chad had been practically brothers since the day they were born. They learnt to crawl, walk and talk together. They learnt to ride bicycles together, learnt to drive together, and played basketball together. They had always been inseparable.

After Troy died, Chad seemed very unwilling to move out of Sharpay's house; Troy's memory hung around there so thickly that Chad could revel in it and feel like he'd never left, and the Bolton kids were so like their dad that it was comforting. Just proof that Troy _had _been there, and always would be. Eventually, he was persuaded to move out just after little Tiffany turned one; the house across the road was put up for sale and Taylor hinted that they could expand their family if they moved in there – this was the argument that eventually won it for Taylor, as Chad did want more kids (preferably a baby boy).

Over the years, Angel had grown up into a beautiful young woman – to Chad's dismay, as he insisted the boys would be all over her before she reached double figures. She had the thick black hair of her mother, with definite Danforth curls livening it up, and she had the warm puppy-dog eyes of her dad's as well. She was the biggest girly-girl in the world, and thrived on all things pink and fluffy. Chad was dismayed – Taylor was just happy that her baby had some intelligence along with the girliness. Often, Angel was top of the class in most subjects and her mom was already thinking of Harvard and Yale and Stanford…

Chad could almost hear Troy laughing, proclaiming that all girls were slightly girly, and that Chad was dumb for even thinking his daughter would be any different.

He could practically see Troy hugging Taylor and whispering that she shouldn't already be pushing her expectations so high on the eight-year-old; she should let Angel enjoy life first.

Then, a little over a year ago, just after they finally unpacked the last box in their new house, Taylor discovered she was pregnant, to the joy of the family. When it was discovered that they were, in fact, expecting _two _new additions, Chad was delighted, literally running into Ryan's house and yelling it, grabbing Gabriella in a huge bear hug, before going to repeat the action in Sharpay's house.

Isabella Melanie and Cheyenne Stephanie were born three weeks before their due date (to Taylor's joy as she was already overly uncomfortable). Each were absolutely perfect, with identical mops of black hair and confused deep blue eyes as they looked about their new surroundings. They were absolutely identical, and had Chad and Taylor guessing all through the first couple of months – as they got older, they looked less and less the same. Bella had big deep brown eyes like her older sister, and had kept her black hair. Cheyenne's eyes had stayed that deep blue, much to her parents' confusion. Then, they had discovered that Chad's great-great grandmother was from England and had had blue eyes much like Cheyenne's that could've skipped a generation or two. Cheyenne and Bella had the same hair, but Bella's stayed against her head, while Cheyenne's splayed out in curls.

Chad picked Bella up out of Angel's arms, pressing a kiss to her head; they were only thirteen months old, but they were already developing their own little personalities.

Bella was undeniably a daddy's girl; even Chad could see that. She loved to play with a toy xylophone, which Taylor was excited about as it showed a possible interest in the arts. She loved Taylor's shoes – which Chad was less than pleased about. She also liked to chew books when she was teething.

From what he could tell, Bella was going to turn into a shoe-obsessed-xylophone-playing-book-hater.

Cheyenne was the most surprising of the Danforth spawn. She had, probably, the second most girly-sounding name, yet she was already showing an interest in sports. She liked to try on her dad's sneakers and wobble about in them; going for a run with her dad owned Dora the Explorer; sporting annuals were better than eating works of the Brontë sisters, and her dad's old basketball jersey was the best security blanket.

Troy would've loved to see the twins. Of course, they would be his goddaughters; Chad and Troy always agreed that somehow they would try and keep an active role in each others' lives, even if it was through their children.

Chad would never forget the sparkly-eyed man who had always been his best friend. Neither would Albuquerque, it seemed – when his death became public, Troy pretty much became a local hero. Children were told if they behaved, they might wind up "like young Troy Bolton". Girls were told that if they were always friendly, and nice to the boys, they might wind up with a nice Troy Bolton lad.

Chad momentarily studied Bella and pictured her with _the _Troy Bolton lad – a.k.a Shaun – but was overcome with a jealous fatherly rage and whispered "No guys till I'm in my grave, y'hear?"

Bella gurgled in response and wriggled until she was put down. She immediately toddled over to Angel and fell into her arms, followed shortly by Cheyenne who succeeded in forcing their big sister back into the snow and into a giggling heap of daughters.

Chad Danforth, now twenty-nine, held a hand out to his wife, Taylor, who was twenty-eight. Her birthday was in a week.

"Bless," she cooed, smiling proudly at her daughters, "Such a beautiful sight,"

"Yes it is," Chad replied quietly, but when Taylor turned, her husband's eyes were only on her.

Taylor's face split into a big grin, "I love you, y'know? You daft lunkhead basketball man,"

"I love you too," Chad replied, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers.

As Chad spent the day with his family, he got the feeling that, wherever he wound up, Troy Bolton was watching them.

* * *

**The Evanses**

Gabriella Evans had almost lost her whole world after Troy's death.

No, this isn't Sharpay's drama-queeny-ness finally rubbing off on her. She could practically _feel _the fragments that were her life crumbling around her ears.

Sharpay had gone deep into depression after Troy died; she wouldn't leave her home or see anybody, so Dylan and Shaun stayed with Gabriella and Troy, as did Chad and Taylor. So many people mourning in such a small house did nothing for anyone's mental states and they definitely could not move on. Dylan, Angel and Zoë, bless their souls, had no idea what was going on and clearly never understood the concept of death. Taylor and Chad kept to their room, Ryan was barely in the house with burying himself in helping his sister and his job, which left Gabriella – poor, pregnant Gabby with no reason to hide from the questions – to explain to the kids what had happened to Troy.

The stress was unbearable; to see little Zoë's face crumble as she anxiously repeated "What?", over and over as understanding settled into her young self. To have to cope with so many grieving people in one house was devastating. So much so that three weeks after Troy died, Gabriella woke up one night to a terrible pain in her slightly swollen stomach and blood splattered over the sheets. She drove herself to hospital, leaving everyone asleep in the house (or in Ryan's case, at his office) and went straight to hospital. There, she lost the baby.

She hadn't even thought to call anyone, not even Ryan. All Gabriella wanted was for Troy, one of her best friends, to reappear, alive, and tell her that it would be okay, that there would be other children. But he didn't; because he was gone forever as well, like her baby, like some twist of fate. And when she was told "irreparable damage" had been done to her womb and she could no longer have children, Gabriella came to the conclusion that the world hated her.

Not quite a month later, Gabriella was admitted for attempting to kill herself.

Ryan had come home after a frantic call from Taylor, who has panicking as Gabby had locked herself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out. He hurried home and almost the moment he knocked on the door, Gabriella opened it, startling Ryan with her appearance; her hair was a tangled mess tied in a lazy ponytail, her eyes wide and full of anguish and her skin was pallid. One hand clutched her other wrist, but Ryan was too busy looking her in the eye to notice; her big brown eyes were bloodshot and the pupils were dilated, and she was looking at him like she hadn't seen him in a long time.

"R-Ryan…" she stammered in a tiny, weak voice.

"Gabby? Are you okay?" Ryan asked hesitantly.

Gabriella's face crumbled and tears dripped from her eyes, "I'm sorry, Ry."

"What for?"

"I changed my mind…I didn't want to; I didn't _mean _to! I changed my mind, please let me change my mind!" Gabriella gabbled, her hand shaking violently.

"_What did you change your mind about_?" Ryan demanded.

Only then did he see her hand.

Her fist clutched her left wrist tightly, but that didn't stop the liquid seeping through her fingers. The red was vivid against her pale hand, and Ryan suddenly felt the bottom of his world fall away.

The blood dripped from Gabriella's wrist and landed with a soft _dripdripdrip_ on the linoleum.

Every atom of Ryan's body screamed at him to _do something_! His wife was practically bleeding to death in front of him and he could only stand there, staring, thoughts running around like a hyper four year old in his mind.

_Why would she do this?_

_Is it my fault?_

_Is it the kids' fault? _

_Why would she do this?_

_What can I do?_

_Have I lost her already?_

_Why would she do this?_

_Why didn't she speak?_

_Why was she so desperate?_

_**Why would she do this?!! **_

"Ryan, MOVE!!!"

Ryan half-turned, his eyes not leaving Gabby's wrist, as Taylor barged past him, clearly knowing what to do. She grabbed a towel and pushed it against Gabriella's wrist, muttering "Thank God the kids' are in bed…"

"Chad!!" she bellowed, looking round Ryan, "Call a freaking ambulance, _now_!!"

Chad stepped out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes tiredly, then he saw his friends' faces and instantly ran down the hall and Ryan heard the familiar dialling.

For the rest of the evening, and into early morning, Ryan was jostled here and there, dragged up and downstairs and bullied into an ambulance while Chad stayed home with the kids. Taylor attempted to talk to him, as did various doctors and nurses, all of whom were worried he was in shock; which he was, I presume. He just stared at everyone, still wondering: _Why would she do this?_

It turned out Gabriella had severe depression, and after three months of rehab treating it, as well as continued therapy, she was allowed home, to children who were just happy she was still here, friends who were concerned and a cold husband, who still didn't understand why she'd try to kill herself.

"I don't know," Gabriella would sigh everytime he'd bring it up, lying back weakly in bed, "It just seemed…_right_. You don't understand how lost I was, Ry…"

"Don't call me that." Ryan would snarl, "You would've left me, your children, _all _of us…just because…because…I don't even _know _why!! Maybe cos we were still caught up in Troy's loss and didn't all sob over you when you had a lesser tragedy!"

He would regret saying it instantly, but he always did. And she would always start crying, and get mad.

"_Our child_ is as much of a loss as Troy freaking Bolton!!" she would bellow, generally followed with something thrown in his face.

This would lead to a quickly-arranged visit to the therapist's office, and sometimes a trip to the hospital depending on her aim.

It seemed like their life – their whole marriage – was slowly slipping out of their control. Ryan was sure that what had happened had ruined the best thing to ever happen to him.

And he despised Troy Bolton for it.

Whenever he tried to talk to someone about it, they would always be to caught up with the fact he blamed _Troy _to do him any good.

"It isn't Troy's fault!" Sharpay would practically scream.

"Oh yeah, cos he _planned _to die, right?!" Taylor would snarl.

"How could you _think _that, you sick bastard?" Chad would mutter, turning away.

All too busy judging him to help him through his depression; his dark abyss; who cared about his pain, when _Troy _was dead?

His whole life seemed prepared to fall apart at the seams, when who should enter but Mimi. Although Ryan had doubts, thinking that maybe adopting this child wouldn't help their marriage, Gabriella was certain that she was a gift from God, and their whole relationship was strengthened. Gabriella became happier, brighter, a proper soccer-mom. Ryan was happy and finally could leave Gabby alone instead of keeping and eye on her every second of the day, and Dylan adored his baby sister. Dylan grew up to be a smart boy like his mother, competing in academic decathlons and spelling bees, but he also had a talent for dancing and singing and was the school's Theatre Boy. He also loved sports, and often would be out playing or racing with Zoë Bolton. Currently, his obsession was skiing and he had been nagging Zoë and his dad to take him out to a empty hill while Albuquerque had real _snow_, while Zoë would rather be out riding horses.

_Odd children_, Gabby would think as she looked at this two kids arguing over doing such dangerous activities!

Ryan thought, like his wife, that Mimi and their son were gifts from someone up there, but perhaps not God…

So every night, while Gabriella would pray to God and thank Him for every gift, namely Mimi and Dylan, Ryan would offer a silent thanks to Troy Bolton; he always knew his old friend would keep his eye on all of them.

* * *

**The Boltons**

The simple fact was, Tiffany Tory Bolton would never know her father. And that just broke her family's heart. Not just her immediate family, but her various aunts and uncles to, like Taylor and Chad Danforth. The very idea that young Tiffany would grow up not knowing the wonderful person her dad was mortified them all.

What hurt Sharpay even more was how much _like _Troy she was. Little Tiffany was a little Tomboy, who spent her weeks running, playing soccer and basketball with siblings and cousins; she wasn't like her sister and didn't care so much about her appearance. Her nails were bitten down, her clothes were often muddy and she desperately wanted to cut her beautiful hair so it wouldn't get in the way, but her mother couldn't bear the idea. She had Troy's hair - brunette with hints of natural blonde highlights. Zoë had the same, but hers was lighter with unnatural blonde highlights.

Every time Tiffany ran out the front door, clutching some form of ball to her chest, Sharpay would swallow back a lump in her throat, and whenever the youngster came home in trouble for attempting to feed a squirrel a bookmark (which happened a _lot_), Sharpay couldn't help but laugh, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Mommy," Tiffany said one day, "Do I make you sad?"

Sharpay's immediate reply was "_What_? Of course you don't, munchkin! Why would you think that?"

"I dunno…it's just, every time I do something normal, you look all sad," Tiffany mumbled. Sharpay's face fell and she leant down, dropping a kiss onto her youngest daughter's head.

"I cry in a _good _way, pumpkin. Not because I'm sad. You are just so much like your daddy,"

And Tiffany would be proud of this answer because so many people said her dad was amazing, before running out to the empty-driveway clutching her father's basketball, pulling her big sister along with her, ignoring Zoë whining that her hair was messy and that she wasn't dressed for sports.

Sharpay sighed as she walked up the stairs with a load of laundry, absently looking at her engagement ring from Troy. She never took it off, and it warded men off from asking her out – she didn't want them to anyway! Her heart would always be Troy's.

It was almost midnight and God, was she tired!! This was a daily routine for her; still working so late while her children slept.

As she passed her youngest daughter's room, she spied light shining under the door, and snuffling noises inside. Her suspicions aroused, she set the basket down and opened the door, walking inside.

The orange basketball light in the corner was aglow, and her daughter sat on her bed, her quilt wrapped around her shoulders and a red book in her lap. Her hair was mussed up, and her big blue eyes were studying the book intently. She looked up when her mother entered, guiltily. Sharpay frowned and stepped forward, picking the book up. She swallowed thickly when she saw it was her high school yearbook from junior year, open to a page about the Wildcats basketball team; a 17-year-old Troy Bolton, pre-Sharpay sex, pre-disappearances, pre-babies and responsibility, grinned up at her, his eyes a-sparkle and his hair flopping attractively over his eyes. He looked so young and handsome, and beside it was Sharpay's comment; it was obviously her due to the bright pink ink and the 'i's were dotted with hearts.

'_Hey, Troy. Have a good summer and be sure not to completely lose contact, kay babes? Yes, I HAVE forgiven you for stealing my musical, haha :). Toodles, S xxx_'

Sharpay smiled fondly at her own young, carefree image. Seemed like a lifetime ago now.

"Sweetie, did you get this from Mommy's room?" Sharpay asked. Tiffany nodded, and Sharpay noticed for the first time that her eyes were shiny with tears.

"Tiff…?"

"Why didn't I get to know him?" she asked suddenly, pulling her quilt even tighter around her little body, "Everyone knows him and everyone tells me how amazing he was and they just make me wanna know him more and I never can cos he's _dead_."

Sharpay flinched slightly at her baby's words, but there were more important things to think about now.

"Baby…I'm sorry," Sharpay whispered, sitting beside her and hugging her tightly. Tiffany clung back, whimpering.

"Mommy…"

"Yes, pumpkin?"

"…tell me a story,"

Sharpay frowned slightly; Tiffany never wanted to hear a story! She'd always tired herself out so completely that she would be unconscious in seconds.

Sharpay racked her brains for a moment before realizing exactly the right story. Silently, she stood, pulling the quilt with her, and pushed Tiff back so she was lying, before squeezing in beside her and covering both of them. Then, she tucked an arm around the six-year-old and began.

"Well…once upon a time, there was a young high-schooler called Sharpay; a drama queen, blonde, big brown eyes, a pretty girl actually, with plenty of talent. She had a brother, her best friend, Ryan. And one day, she met this other guy, handsome, athletic, bit buff actually…but you're a bit young for that. Anyway, she fell in love with this guy. He was amazing, and his name was Troy Bolton…"

**~The End~**


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